Christopher R. Agnew
American social psychologist
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Through Interpersonal relationship, Social network and Sexual and reproductive health
Education
Agnew earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1987, a Master of Arts in social psychology from San Francisco State University in 1990, and a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1994.
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Career
Before joining Purdue University, Agnew was a statistical consultant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined Purdue University in 1995 as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences. He was promoted to associate professor in 2001 and to professor in 2009. He served as director of graduate studies and as director of the department's social psychology area. From 2009 to 2017, he was head of the Department of Psychological Sciences.
From 2017 to 2022, Agnew served as Purdue's associate vice president for research for regulatory affairs and as institutional official.
Research
Agnew's research is in social psychology and the study of interpersonal relationships, with particular emphasis on commitment and interdependence in close relationships. His work has examined the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of commitment, including cognitive interdependence, relationship satisfaction, investments, perceived alternatives, and relationship stability.
His research has also addressed the formation, maintenance, and dissolution of romantic relationships. Topics have included relationship readiness, social network influences, social disapproval, relationship advice, power within relationships, attachment, and the role of relationship processes in decisions about sexual health and condom use.
More recently, Agnew has examined interpersonal relationship processes in virtual reality, including the formation of affiliative connections between strangers, avatar appearance, and online relationships. His work has also considered commitment and intimacy in parasocial and digitally mediated relationships.