Patrick Vargas

Education
- Ph.D., The Ohio State University (Social Psychology)
- M.A., The Ohio State University (Psychology)
- B.A., St. Mary's College of Maryland (Philosophy, Psychology)
Affiliations
- Professor of Advertising
- Affiliate, Department, Psychology
- Affiliate, Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism
- Affiliate, Institute of Communications Research
- College of Media Scholar
Course Specialties
- Research Methods
- Attitude-Behavior Relations
- Psychology of Advertising
Background
Vargas double-majored in philosophy and psychology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and went on to pursue graduate studies in social psychology (with a minor in quantitative psychology) at The Ohio State University. While at OSU, he worked most closely with professors Bill von Hippel, Rich Petty and Bob Arkin. In 1997-98, Vargas worked as a post-doctoral researcher under the guidance of Joe Forgas at the University of New South Wales. Since 1998, Vargas has been at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Research/Creative Endeavor
Vargas’ research focuses on attitude measurement, stereotyping and prejudice, and information processing aspects of persuasion. He is particularly interested in attitudes that exist outside of conscious awareness.