Dr Gloria Wai Shan Ma
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Biography
I am a Research Fellow in Social Psychology/Relationship Science in the School of Psychology, working with Dr Erica Hepper on an ESRC-funded project investigating dyadic nostalgia in couples.
I was awarded two bachelor's degrees in psychology from Columbia University and City University of Hong Kong. Then, I moved to the UK to complete an MSc in Cognitive and Decision Sciences at University College London and a D.Phil in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. During my doctoral studies, I investigated the consequences of social sharing of emotions associated with COVID-19 and the social effects of bivalent emotions (i.e., feeling positive and negative emotions at the same time). Between November 2023 and March 2025, I worked at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ as a Lecturer A in Psychology.
Areas of specialism
University roles and responsibilities
- Research Fellow in Social Psychology/Relationship Science
Previous roles
Affiliations and memberships
ResearchResearch interests
My DPhil research examined the role of human emotions (especially bivalent ones) in social cognition and behaviour. Currently as a Research Fellow in Social Psychology/Relationship Science, I am working on an ESRC-funded research project investigating dyadic nostalgia in couple relationships.
Research interests
My DPhil research examined the role of human emotions (especially bivalent ones) in social cognition and behaviour. Currently as a Research Fellow in Social Psychology/Relationship Science, I am working on an ESRC-funded research project investigating dyadic nostalgia in couple relationships.
Publications
Highlights
Ma, G. W. S., Pavey, C., Eiroa-Solans, C., & Parkinson, B. (2025). Effects of chatting styles on sharers’ emotions during online conversations. European Journal of Social Psychology.
Ma, G. W. S., & Parkinson, B. (2025). Effectiveness of perceiving normal and extreme outgroups’ bivalent emotions in reducing infrahumanisation (or intergroup preference). Proceedings of the Global Conference on Psychology, 1(1), 1-18.
Ma, G. W. S., Schöne, J. P., & Parkinson, B. (2024). Social sharing of emotion during the collective crisis of COVID-19. British Journal of Psychology, 115(4), 843-879.
Harris, A. J. L., Jenkins, S. C., Ma, G. W. S., & Oh, A. (2021). Testing the adaptability of people’s use of attribute frame information. Cognition, 212, 104720.