Dr Jonathan Ramsay ~ Academic Head, Psychology & Education

Profile:

Originally from the United Kingdom, Dr Jonathan Ramsay came to Asia in 2009 and is now a Senior Lecturer of Psychology and Head of Academic Group at James Cook University, Singapore. He received a PhD in psychology from Nanyang Technological University in 2014, and a BA in psychology and physiology from the University of Oxford in 2005. Prior to joining JCU he was a Lecturer and then a Senior Lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).

His research interests span areas of personality and social psychology, with a particular emphasis on the psychology of religion (including the consequences of religious belief and non-belief) and the relationships between personality, attitudes, and well-being. His current research projects examine the way religious individuals explain daily events, as well as individual differences in the relationship between subjective authenticity and well-being.

Jonathan has published in many international peer-reviewed journals, such as Nature Human Behaviour, the Journal of Research in Personality, Political Psychology, and the Journal of Personality. He is an editorial board member for the Asian Journal of Social Psychology and the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, and regularly reviews for journals such as Motivation and Emotion and the Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology. He is also the recipient of several internal and external research grants.

Current Projects:

• Religiosity, supernatural explanations, positive emotions and well-being
• Understanding diversity in salvation beliefs within and across religions
• Moral reasoning and decision-making in members of Eastern religions
• Openness to experience facets, tolerance, and prejudice

I am currently seeking expressions of interest from potential PhD students wishing to work in one of the above areas.

Teaching

• PY2110: Intersections of Psychology and Law: Forensic Psychology (Level 2; SIN)

Interests

Research

• Religion/Spirituality, Supernatural Explanations, and Well-Being
• The Psychology of Eastern Religions (esp. Buddhism, Taoism)
• Authoritarian Personality across Cultures
• Openness, Tolerance, and Prejudice
• Antecedents and Consequences of Religious Non-Belief

Experience

• 2016 to 2018 - Senior Lecturer, Singapore University of Social Sciences (Singapore)
• 2014 to 2016 - Lecturer, Singapore University of Social Sciences (Singapore)

Research Disciplines

• Psychology (1701)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Expanding Knowledge (9701)
• Religion and Ethics (9504)
• Media Services (8904)

Awards

• 2010 to 2014 - NTU Research Scholarship, Nanyang Technological University
• 2013 - Best Group Presentation Award, East Asian University Institute for Asian Regional Integration Summer School, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, July 2013
• 2012 to 2013 - Home Team Research Award, Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Lin P, Ramsay J, Chan K, Lim B and Tong E (in press) Self-transcendence through self-inhibition?: God primes reduce self-accessibility. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, , DOI:10.1037/rel0000312.
• Ramsay J (2020) Authoritative maternal parenting associates with the explicit need for autonomy. Journal of Individual Differences, 41, pp. 110-116, DOI:10.1027/1614-0001/a000309.
• Lau G and Ramsay J (2019) Salvation with fear and trembling? Scrupulous fears inconsistently mediate the relationship between religion and well-being. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 22 (8), pp. 844-859, DOI:10.1080/13674676.2019.1670629.
• Ramsay J, Tong E, Chowdhury A and Ho M (2019) Teleological explanation and positive emotion serially mediate the effect of religion on well‐being. Journal of Personality, 87 (3), pp. 676-689, DOI:10.1111/jopy.12425.
• Gervais W, van Elk M, Xygalatas D, McKay R, Aveyard M, Buchtel E, Dar-Nimrod I, Kundtová Klocová E, Ramsay J, Riekki T, Svedholm-Häkkinen A and Bulbulia J (2018) Analytic atheism: a cross-culturally weak and fickle phenomenon? Judgment and Decision Making, 13 (3), pp. 268-274.
• Qiu L, Chen J, Ramsay J and Lu J (2018) Personality predicts words in favorite songs. Journal of Research in Personality, 78, pp. 25-35, DOI:10.1016/j.jrp.2018.11.004.
• Gervais W, Xygalatas D, McKay R, van Elk M, Buchtel E, Aveyard M, Schiavone S, Dar-Nimrod I, Svedholm-Häkkinen A, Kundtová Klocová E, Ramsay J and Bulbulia J (2017) Global evidence of extreme intuitive moral prejudice against atheists. Nature Human Behaviour, 1, Article: 0151, DOI:10.1038/s41562-017-0151.
• Lin Q, Lu J, Ramsay J, Yang S, Qu W and Zhu T (2017) Personality expression in Chinese language use. International Journal of Psychology, 52 (6), pp. 463-472, DOI:10.1002/ijop.12259.
• Ramsay J, Pang J, Ho M and Chan K (2017) Need for power predicts career intent in university students. Journal of Career Assessment, 25 (3), pp. 389-404, DOI:10.1177/1069072716639690.
• Ramsay J and Pang J (2017) Anti-immigrant prejudice in rising East Asia: a stereotype content and integrated threat analysis. Political Psychology, 38 (2), pp. 227-244, DOI:10.1111/pops.12312.
• Ramsay J, Tong E, Pang J and Chowdhury A (2016) A puzzle unsolved: failure to observe different effects of God and religion primes on intergroup attitudes. PLoS ONE, 11, Article: e0147178, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0147178.
• Ramsay J, Yang F, Pang J, Lai C, Ho R and Mak K (2015) Divergent pathways to influence: cognition and behavior differentially mediate the effects of optimism on physical and mental quality of life in Chinese university students. Journal of Health Psychology, 20 (7), pp. 963-973, DOI:10.1177/1359105313504441.

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 16+ research outputs authored by Dr Jonathan Ramsay from 2012 onwards.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Levels of religiosity and spirituality, and attitudes towards discussing them in therapy - A study on clients and psychotherapists in Singapore (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Characterisation, measurement, and enhancement of interfaith curiosity: A multi-study investigation (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Buddhist Religiosity and Psychological Well-being: Uncovering paths to Well-being from the beliefs and practices of Chinese Buddhism (PhD , Primary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.