Senior Lecturer
Otago Business School room 4.36
Email maddie.judge@otago.ac.nz
Maddie is a researcher in social and environmental psychology who is passionate about using her expertise in human behaviour to help solve real-world problems.
She was awarded a PhD in Psychology from Victoria University of Wellington in 2014 and has since held positions at the University of Melbourne, the University of Groningen and in Te Maea in the Otago Business School.
One of her research areas focuses on promoting collective action to address the climate crisis. This has included investigating how social psychological processes may accelerate or hinder the protein transition (a widespread shift in production and consumption systems from animal to plant-based proteins), when and why misperceptions of other actors can act as barriers to climate action, the role of social identities in vegan activism, and the motivational consequences of imagining alternative collective futures. Some of her theoretical articles in this area have looked into political polarisation in the context of environmental issues, and how moral innovators can initiate societal shifts toward more sustainable behaviours.
Another line of research examines how humans perceive and relate to nature, other animals, and artifacts. This includes developing a theoretical framework for folk theories of artifact creation and exploring when and why “magical” social traces are perceived to transfer from creators to objects.
Maddie is enthusiastic about fostering collaborations between academics and non-academics. Currently, she is researching scientists’ identities and motivations to develop strategies that will enhance partnerships between scientists, Māori, industry, and other community groups. She has also recently produced a white paper on “Low carbon behaviour“.
Supervision topics
- The psychology of sustainable consumption behaviours
- The dynamics of social identities, moralization and collective climate action
- Visions of sustainable futures and prefigurative lifestyle movements
- How public values and emotions can be integrated into technological innovations
- Investigating the potential of social norm interventions for advancing a protein transition in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Tracking the spread of inclusive Māori research practices in Aotearoa New Zealand
Methods
- Quantitative surveys
- Experiments
- Interviews
Student supervision
PhD students
- Elle Gilchrist: Thinking, feeling, and making our way in the future: Using art to engage and facilitate in climate change adaptation
- Xinran Wang: Perceptions of the role of different societal actors in addressing climate change
Master’s students
- Cristian Buruiana: Supporting plant-based dietary behaviour change: The effect of action and goal implementation intentions, and self-efficacy
- Kailin Shanahan: The role of perceived remedial responsibility when supporting meat curtailment policies
- Sophie Apel: Second-order beliefs and pro-environmental policy support: The mediating role of collective and participative efficacy beliefs
- Desiree Schmid: The effectiveness of a public commitment via social media and it’s normative processes
- Winona Boelling: Characteristics of sustainable innovations as value instantiations: Investigating subjective perceptions
- Mia Schrader: Taking a positive outlook on a sustainable future: Present-day implications of collective future thinking
- Clara Kubler: Investigating the interpersonal factors influencing the persuasiveness of moral messages encouraging a plant- based diet
Teaching responsibilities
Maddie’s teaching responsibilities include:
- MART 112 Marketing
- MART 212 Understanding Markets
- MART 301 Strategic Marketing
- MART 305 Societal Issues in Marketing
- BSNS 413 Research Skills and Methods 2
Office hours
Thursdays 1:00pm–2:00pm
Publications
Stephenson, J., Judge, M., & Boo, M. (2025). Behavioural shifts for a low-carbon future: Academic insights for policy makers. (pp. 1-50). Dunedin, New Zealand: Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago. doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30358.82241 Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Wang, X., Judge, M., & Steg, L. (2025). Whose job is it to solve climate change? Perceptions of the roles of diverse actors in addressing climate change. Environmental Research Letters, 20, 094044. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/adf85f Journal - Research Article
Wang, X., Judge, M., & Steg, L. (2025). Climate action on Twitter: Perceived barriers for actions and actors, and sentiments during COP26. Environmental Research Communications, 7, 015032. doi: 10.1088/2515-7620/ad7fbc Journal - Research Article
Judge, M., Ruckstuhl, K., & Daellenbach, U. (2024). Survey of scientists’ engagement behaviours in Aotearoa New Zealand. Dunedin, New Zealand: Dean's Office, Otago Business School, University of Otago. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10523/42982 Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Judge, M., Bouman, T., Steg, L., & Bolderdijk, J. W. (2024). Accelerating social tipping points in sustainable behaviors: Insights from a dynamic model of moralized social change. One Earth, 7, 759-770. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2024.04.004 Journal - Research Other