About

Torsten Reimer is a Professor and Director of the College of Liberal Arts Research Academy at Purdue University. He specializes in communication and cognition, with a research focus on the role of AI in decision making, the adoption of new technologies, and human-machine interactions, including interactions with devices like Alexa. His research aims to develop and test theories about the interplay of communication and decision making within socio-technological contexts, utilizing social scientific methods such as experiments with human participants, computational methods, and agent-based simulations. Reimer obtained his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the Free University of Berlin and a Habilitation degree in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Basel. He has worked as a research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. His contributions to research and teaching have been recognized through several awards, including the College of Psychology's Award for Excellence in Research, the Golden Anniversary Monograph Award from the National Communication Association, and the Dennis Gouran Award from the Group Communication Division of NCA. He has served on the Board of Directors of INGRoup and as chair of the Group Communication and Social Cognition divisions of the National Communication Association. Reimer has been involved in numerous NSF-funded projects across various disciplines and has directed the College of Liberal Arts Research Academy since summer 2024, fostering interdisciplinary research initiatives. His work has significantly contributed to understanding communication processes in socio-technological environments, with a particular emphasis on social influence, group decision making, and the integration of AI in social contexts.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Marketing
• Engineering
• Business
• Computer Science
• Electrical engineering
• Geography
• Social psychology
• Automotive engineering
• Environmental science
• Economics
• Architectural engineering
• Microeconomics

Selected publications

• The Interplay of Communication and Social Cognition as a Multidisciplinary Field of Study

  2026-02-03

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  The multidisciplinary field of social cognition studies examines how individuals and groups process, store, and apply information about others and social contexts. It describes the psychological processes underlying social interactions and the perception and interpretation of social cues such as facial expressions, written language, visual images, body language, and vocal intonations. These processes drive effective communication. They are fundamental to understanding others’ intentions, emotions, and behaviors. This chapter provides an overview and introduction to the general structure of the book.

  PublisherDOI

• Information-Processing Models and Argument-Quality Criteria in Persuasion Research

  2026-02-03

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  Dual-process models of persuasion, such as the elaboration-likelihood model and the heuristic-systematic model, highlight the role of information processing in persuasion. Despite their popularity, dual-process models have been repeatedly criticized for lacking an argumentation theory and for underspecifying the cognitive processes involved in persuasion. In this chapter, we first summarize some of the critiques on the dual-process approach. Next, we outline advancements in the conceptual development of theories of argument quality by highlighting three approaches to human information processing: the Bayesian approach, associative semantic networks, and research on fast and frugal heuristics in decision making. Each approach highlights specific characteristics of information processing and can be used to conceptualize argument quality in a unique way. All three approaches have in common that the proposed processes can be described in the form of if–then rules. We conclude with questions for future research.

  PublisherDOI

• A Human-centered Conceptual Framework of EV Charging Decisions

  2025-07-13 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Research on public charging station (PCS) selection has accumulated a large variety of variables that have been shown to affect charging behavior. We offer a human-centered framework to classify and integrate variables that have been described in the literature. Different from previous overviews, the framework focuses on the cognitive decision-making processes that are employed by human deciders. Every charging event includes a human decision that involves three dimensions: where to charge the vehicle (location), when to charge the vehicle (time), and for how long the vehicle is being charged (duration). The framework provides an overview of variables that have been studied in previous research and can be linked to these three dimensions. As a step to validate the framework, we asked 1,019 participants (including 667 owners of EVs or hybrid cars) how important each of 22 choice attributes would be for them when choosing a charging station. A factor analysis revealed the following six factors in descending order of perceived importance: costs, accessibility, time, past experience (self and other), amenities, and provider attributes. EV owners were also asked when and for how long they typically charge their vehicle. A factor analysis of the description of the time of charging confirmed a three-factor structure of range, finances, and habit. Results revealed systematic differences in the time and duration of charging between owners of hybrid cars and plug-in cars. Future research questions are discussed including the relevance of human-centered approaches for policies on charging station deployment and infrastructure planning.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Behavioral Segmentation and Causal Evidence on Public Charging Preferences of Electric Vehicle Users

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Effects of Sensory Experience on Group Decision Making

  Small Group Research · 2025-03-20

  article

  Effects of sensory experiences on social influence processes in decision-making groups are explored. In two experiments, members of three-person groups selected auditory samples such as background music for a hotel. While all members had access to written descriptions of the auditory samples, one designated member could also listen to the auditory samples (member with sensory experience). Experienced members exerted more influence on group decisions than inexperienced members. Exploratory analyses revealed that experienced members’ narratives were perceived as more credible, but not more vivid than those of inexperienced members. A linguistic analysis of group discussions showed that members with sensory experience used more auditory words and metaphors than inexperienced members. Future directions to study the role of sensory experience in group decision making are discussed.

  PublisherDOI

• Predictors of armed intergroup-conflicts

  2024-09-09

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  Research on armed intergroup conflicts has steadily increased over the last decade. We provide a broad overview of studies that described predictors of armed intra-national conflicts. Based on a systematic literature search and analysis of studies that were published between 1966 and 2016, we identified 125 published articles that identified predictors and risk factors of armed intergroup conflicts. Of these, 112 articles were published within the last 10 years. We use a social-identity framework to categorize the studied predictors and types of conflicts. Several studies identified proximal risk factors that were described in terms of the involved groups (e.g., religious rivalries). However, the vast majority of studies focused on distal risk factors (e.g., temperature). Future research may provide credible scenarios and models that can explain the effects of distal through proximal variables.

  PublisherDOI

• Democrats and Republicans choose solar panels in very similar ways

  Frontiers in Psychology · 2024-10-16

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Introduction: Appealing to individuals' social identity is a powerful form of social influence, capable of changing the way people process information, the information they think about, and how they evaluate other individuals. The purpose of this study is to explore the idea that Democrat and Republican environmental norms may impact the attributes and strategies partisans use when choosing whether to have solar panels on a house. Methods: = 363 participants was conducted to examine these possible effects through multi-attribute decision making, applying predefined decision process models to participant behavior to test which attribute-based models best describe participants' decision making. A choice task was combined with an experimental manipulation of political affiliation salience to examine whether the norms of political groups would have influence on decision behavior. Results: Results of the study show remarkable similarities between political parties in their strategies for choosing solar panels. Members of both political parties appeared to use similar strategies and similar attributes for the formation of their decisions. Discussion: Recommendations are made that science communicators and policy makers avoid polarizing language so as not to create unnecessary polarization where ideological gaps may not currently exist.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Entrepreneur social networks and investor decision-making: an experimental study of investor choice and founder LinkedIn networks

  International Journal of Business Information Systems · 2024-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Inderscience is a global company, a dynamic leading independent journal publisher disseminates the latest research across the broad fields of science, engineering and technology; management, public and business administration; environment, ecological economics and sustainable development; computing, ICT and internet/web services, and related areas.

  PublisherDOI

• Marketing to multiple audiences simultaneously using strategic ambiguity: A study of credit card choice behavior

  Journal of Marketing Communications · 2024-10-23

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Is Alexa Happy or Angry? Perceptions and Attributions of Emotional Displays of Smart Technologies in Residential Homes

  Sustainability · 2024-03-26

  articleOpen access

  Digital assistants such as Alexa can provide feedback to residents that affect energy consumption. One important characteristic of feedback refers to the emotionality of the provided feedback. Research on social cognition and attribution theory suggests that effects of emotional messages on behavior are contingent on the inferred cause of the emotion (e.g., why a message was said in a happy or neutral voice). As a prerequisite, to have the intended effects on energy saving behaviors, Alexa’s emotional messages have to trigger three basic social cognitions: (1) the emotional display has to be identified by residents; (2) residents have to correctly identify their behavior as a target of the emotional display; and (3) residents have to attribute the emotional display to that behavior. In two studies (N = 194 and N = 353), several conditions were identified that triggered these three basic social cognitions in a simulated environment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Simon J. Craddock Lee

  University of Kansas Medical Center

  127 shared

• David E. Gerber

  The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

  127 shared

• Erin L. Williams

  Southwestern Medical Center

  126 shared

• Mary Ann Gill

  The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

  126 shared

• Deidi S. Bergestuen

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  121 shared

• Joan H. Schiller

  Lung Cancer Research Foundation

  121 shared

• Laurin L. Priddy

  The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

  121 shared

• Haskell Kirkpatrick

  The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

  121 shared

Labs

• Communication and Cognition LabPI

Awards & honors

• College of Psychology's Award for Excellence in Research fro…
• Golden Anniversary Monograph Award from the National Communi…
• Dennis Gouran Award from the Group Communication Division of…
• Ann and Charles Redding Faculty Scholar Award of the Brian L…
• Purdue Grand Challenges Award (2017-2019)