Katelyn Y.A. McKenna

Katelyn Y.A. McKenna (also known online as Yael Kaynan)

"Dr. Kaynan is considered one of the founders in the field of Internet Psychology. A Senior Lecturer at the Sammy Ofer School of Communications, IDC, Herzliya and at Ben- Gurion University, she has taught courses on the psychology of the Internet, Internet relationships, online group dynamics, stereotyping, and social cognition. Her research interests include relationship cognition, the self, social identity, and intergroup conflict and negotiation, particularly as regards the role of social influence. A prolific author, she has published over 30 journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings in the field. Her first book, Consequences of the Internet for Self and Society: Is Social Life Being Transformed? (with John Bargh), was published in 2002 and she is the editor of the recently published book The Oxford Handbook of Internet Psychology (with Adam Joinson, Tom Postmes, and Ulf-Dietrich Rieps). With a grant from the Burda Center for Innovative Communications, Katelyn is currently conducting a longitudinal natural experiment with the Good Neighbors Blog, examining the effectiveness of the contact hypothesis for stereotype and conflict reduction within a Middle East setting."

Work History:

• October 2005 – present, Senior Lecturer, Department of Communication Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
• September 2000-2005, Assistant Research Professor of Psychology, New York University.

Articles

• “Gaza’s Culture of Self-Destruction” By Yael Kaynan