Alexandra E. Black, PhD

Alexandra E. Black, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies (CHIBPS) at the Rutgers School of Public Health.

Dr. Black received her PhD in Social Psychology with expertise in relationship science and advanced quantitative methods. She uses Actor Partner Interdependence Modeling (APIM), dyadic mediation (APIMeM), Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze dyadic, nested, and/or longitudinal data. 

Dr. Black values and enjoys teaching. Some of her favorite courses to teach include:

• ANOVA (University of Rochester)
• Close Relationships (University of Pittsburgh)
• Advanced Research Methods in Social Psychology (University of Pittsburgh)
• Attachment Theory (Arizona State University)
• Multivariate Statistics (Arizona State University)

Dr. Black advocates for her students and prioritizes creating an inclusive and safe classroom.  

Dr. Black’s research examines how committed people respond to alternative threat. She is particularly interested in how committed people perceive their partners interacting with attractive alternatives and what implications those assessments have for relationship stability. In other words, how do people in relationships determine if their partners are trustworthy? Are these perceptions based on relationship dynamics (e.g., existing trust or perceived partner commitment), dispositional differences (e.g., attachment insecurity), or the social context (e.g., social media)? Dr. Black's construct, Perceptions of the Partner's Devaluation (PPD; Black & Reis, 2022; Black, 2023; Black et al., 2026), has been examined within the contexts of attachment buffering, social media usage/communication (e.g., Instagram, dating apps, and Tik Tok), and interracial relationships. 

Additionally, Dr. Black examines how experiences of biphobia influence mental health and substance use. Dr. Black designed the Model of Bisexual Stigma and Mental Health (Black & Durka, under review) to serve as a starting point for research focused on identifying how to disrupt the harmful impact of biphobia on mental health. This work highlights bisexual people as a vulnerable group within the LGBTQIA+ community that could benefit from psychosocial interventions focused on promotion of mental health. Dr. Black is also interested in how sexual health behaviors may be related to an individual’s romantic relationship status (e.g., involvement in a consensually non-monogamous committed relationship).