Bradford H. Morrison

University of British Columbia | UBC ·  Department of Psychology

This chapter reports the results of a comparison between how presidents Trump and Biden think about other countries and their leaders, and how this relates to each president’s worldview and policies. The comparison is based on content analyses of presidential speeches, interviews, and other texts. Content analysis provides nonreactive measures of a...

Political leaders are responsible for making decisions that can lead to, or avert, international violence and war. The goal of this dissertation is to better understand how the cognitive complexity, specifically integrative complexity, of political leaders relates to processes by which international crises or confrontations become violent. It tests...

A white paper with the Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA). This paper uses content analysis of verbal materials attributed to Vladimir Putin to assess changes in his thinking and personal threat profile, in relation to international events and changes in his foreign policy.

This chapter reports the results of two studies using different versions of thematic content analysis. The analyses are based on speeches made by Donald J. Trump before and since ascending to the presidency. Applying a variety of metrics, the research examines the content, structure, and implications of Pres. Trump’s texts covering US foreign polic...

A white paper with the Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA). Governments continue to pour money into deradicalization programs with the goal of rehabilitating violent extremists. Are there lessons in psychological theory and research, and in historical examples, from which current-day programs could benefit? In this paper we highlight lessons tha...

A white paper with the Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA) In order to gain a quantified, evidence-based picture of decision-making tendencies of Chinese industrial, technical, economic, and political leaders, the UBC research group assessed the integrative complexity and motivational hierarchy of high-level figures in government and (ostensibly...

A white paper with the Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA) Executive Summary: The UBC research group assessed psychological processes of six DPRK leaders, including Kim Jong-un, using thematic content analysis for integrative complexity and motive imagery, and Profiler Plus® computer-scored measures of Belief in Ability to Control Events (BACE),...

A Quick Look Assessment by the Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA) A multi-method assessment of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This report suggests potential types of actions and messages most likely to influence and deter Bashar al-Assad from using force in the ongoing Syrian civil war. This study is based on multidisciplinary analyses of B...