Research Statement

Aashna Sunderrajan is primarily interested in the role of attitudes, intentions, and behavior in the promotion and retention of health behaviors. Her research examines perceptions towards action and inaction, and the downstream consequences of these on attitudes towards, and the adoption of, health messages. She also explores the ironic effect of intentions on behavior (i.e., when the formation of an intention undermines behavior enactment), with a focus on its applicability towards medication (non-)adherence. Ultimately, Aashna is motivated to apply these theoretical findings to health interventions, and so her research also includes meta-analyses of multiple-behavior interventions in different domains to evaluate their overall efficacy and understand the processes that contribute to their greater success. Prior to her role as a postdoctoral research associate, she earned a dual bachelor's degree in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and Sociology from the University of Michigan, and a master's and doctoral degree in Social Psychology from the University of Illinois.