About Us

Directed by Dr. Myron A. Penner, the Religion and Meaning Making (RAMM) lab conducts research at the intersection of philosophy and psychology. We seek to understand the role religion and spirituality have in human quests for meaning.

Our questions focus on understanding religion through the lenses of cognitive, cultural, and evolutionary psychology. Our research also includes attention to our evolved moral psychology and the ways in which moral norms and judgments facilitate meaning-making. Philosophically, we look to examine the assumptions and concepts that are operative in social scientific research on religion, as well as to connect the scientific data to larger philosophical questions of meaning and purpose.

Current Projects

  • This project funded by the John Templeton Foundation (Grant ID#63020) investigates the ways in which ‘spiritual but not religious’ people direct their spiritual longings, transmit their values in family settings, and engage in moral decision making. More information about the project, including co-investigators and partner institutions, may be found at the project website [link]. Project media release is here.

  • Lead by Dr. Beyer and Dr. Penner, this project explores whether the factors that cause people to leave evangelicalism are predicted by social and cognitive theories of religion. There is widespread consensus among scientists who study religion that religion delivers prosocial benefits to participants. But if religion is good for you, why do people leave? We test a variety of hypotheses around the general idea that post-evangelicals have left their religion because of factors which blocked or overrode their receiving typical prosocial religious benefits.

  • Conducted in collaboration with Dr. Amanda Nichols (Chemistry, Oklahoma Christian University), this project funded by the Templeton Religion Trust (Grand ID# TRT-2022-31026) investigates whether the ways in which scientists make aesthetic judgments in scientific practices can be a model for understanding aesthetic experience in religion. Project media release is here.

Team

Dr. Myron A. Penner

Dr. Chelsea Beyer

Dr. Yeeun Archer Lee

Khushnoor Kaur

Morley Draper

Jessica Urban

Logan Bateman

Rowen Zamora

Zachariah Smith

Elyse Brunoro

Medeleine Headley

Sofia Andrews

Van Lian Ceu Lian

Contact

For inquiries about the RAMM Lab, use the form below.