Explaining psychological concepts to students and serving as a source of inspiration and guidance for students are some of the things that Dr. Lukas Sotola, professor of Psychology on the Pleasantville campus, enjoys doing. Professor Sotola earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany. He went on to obtain a Master’s Degree in Experimental Psychology from Western Illinois University. Professor Sotola earned a PhD in Social Psychology from Iowa State University in the Spring of 2024.
Professor Sotola started his career in education in the fall of 2024 when he began teaching at Pace University. Professor Sotola teaches Psychology 112, “Introduction to Psychology;” Psychology 205, “Statistics in Psychology and Allied Fields;” and Psychology 304, “Social Psychology.”
Professor Sotola’s interests include Social Psychology, which is the study of how people think and feel about each other as well as how they interact with each other, and issues in research in psychology. Within the field of Social Psychology, Professor Sotola is particularly interested in system justification, which is the study of how people are motivated to think that the world is fair. Professor Sotola states, “This belief may have a negative impact on different groups, such as socioeconomic groups, ethnic and racial groups and gender and sexual groups.”
Within the area of research in Psychology, Professor Sotola has a particular interest in the replication crisis. The replication crisis stems from the idea that when people perform an experiment in science, including Psychology, they should obtain the same result each time they perform the experiment. Professor Sotola states, “Unfortunately, one major issue in Psychology is that when experiments are done over, often the same result as the original study is not obtained.”
Professor Sotola shares what he enjoys about working with students. “I love showing students how to do things. I love showing students how to calculate statistics and perform data analysis. When I taught Experimental Psychology as a PhD student, I enjoyed showing students how to perform research.” Professor Sotola has a passion for explaining different concepts to students. “I love breaking down ideas to students.”
In addition, Professor Sotola relishes working with students on their writing. He states, “I like seeing how students improve their writing over the course of a semester.” Professor Sotola also highlights what students can do to enhance their writing skills. “Take a writing class. Writing is underrated.”
Professor Sotola also enjoys working with students one-on-one. “I like working with students on a project, and I enjoy seeing how students improve. I also like it when I get the chance to teach students ideas they probably would not learn in a classroom.”
In addition, Professor Sotola advises Psychology students to get involved in research in the laboratory.
“Performing research is not only good preparation for graduate school, but is also enriching. Research helps students to understand that Psychology is not only a collection of facts. It is a living subject, and research in psychology is an opportunity for students to expand knowledge of the field.”
In his spare time, Professor Sotola likes to read. “I read fiction and non-fiction. I like to read classics, poetry, history, memoirs and biographies of such people as political activists, writers, and presidents. I also read philosophy and biographies on musicians and composers. I also have a YouTube channel in which I talk about books.”
In addition, Professor Sotola likes watching movies. “I like American cinema, and I also like Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese cinema. I like watching traditional as well as contemporary movies. I also like watching television shows. I have begun to re-watch The Sopranos.”
Professor Sotola highlights additional activities he likes to engage in. “I like to exercise. I also recently took a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I also like watching and reading educational topics on Instagram and Tik-Tok. I also like spending time with my cat, Bessie.”
Professor Sotola is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and he wants students to know that there is LGBTQ+ representation on the faculty. Professor Sotola also highlights that he has a Rainbow Flag in his office, and he discusses the importance of having this flag in his office. “I want students, including Queer students, to know that they are in a safe space.”