Vanessa A. Castillo is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Coe College. Her research focuses on social interactions (e.g., conflict) from a cultural perspective.
She was the laboratory manager of the Social Self and Culture Lab, led by Dr Susan Cross, while completing her PhD at Iowa State University. Her research interests focus on how people’s cultural values influence their goals, motivations, and behaviors. Primarily, her research has focused on cultures that highly value reputation (i.e., honor cultures, U.S. Southerners, Latin Americans, and Middle Easterners) and how that influences their perceptions, willingness, and reasons for forgiving or not forgiving. She is also interested in how cultural values influence romantic relationships regarding conflict, infidelity, and break-ups.