She specializes in the study of public opinion, political psychology, and political communication within the American context. Much of her recent research seeks to understand the relationship between the public’s beliefs about genetic influences on behavior and their political attitudes. Related publications include “Does Biology Justify Ideology? The Politics of Genetic Attribution” (with Toby Jayaratne, in Public Opinion Quarterly) and “The Politics of Science: Political Values and the Production, Communication, and Reception of Scientific Knowledge” (co-edited with James Druckman; special issue of The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science).