David G. Wagner

Expertise: 

Social Psychology

Recent Research Projects

• Daring Modesty: The Generation, Analysis and Development of Sociological
  Ideas. -- This is a comprehensive, book-length consideration of four basic questions regarding the construction of sociological theories:
  • • What is the purpose of theorizing?
    • From what sources do sociological theories come?
    • How can we tell whether our theories are "good" or "bad?"
    • How do we go about making our good theories better?
• The Attribution of Instrumental and Expressive Task Roles -- This work involves a series of experiments testing whether patterns of behavioral interaction (rather than gender differences, as is traditionally assumed) predict the attribution of instrumental and expressive roles in task groups.
• Characteristics, Objects, and Information: An Integrated View of Instrumental Task Behavior -- This work involves the extension of status characteristics theory and the performance of several experiments to account for the effects of group members' differential possession of task-relevant objects, abilities or information on task performance.

Research Interests

• Sociological Theory & Theory Construction
• Social Psychology
• Sex and Gender Stratification
• Sociology of Science and Knowledge
• Mathematical Sociology
• Organizational Processes