Attitudes and Group Identity Lab
Graduate Students
Shannon Callahan
I am interested in how the identities, beliefs, and objectives of different groups contribute to intergroup relations, particularly between conflicting parties. My current research projects examine the antecedents and consequences of using symbols to represent group identity.
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Yanine Hess
My research interests focus on the effects of social rejection and how individuals define and perceive different social relationships. In this lab, I am currently examining how social exclusion influences individuals' general belief systems, such as the belief that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get.
Annie Kochersberger
Broadly, I am interested in the tools people use to connect with others. I’m currently investigating whether certain kinds of humor might act as a conversational shortcut to shared reality. In a related vein, I am exploring the relationship between humor and persuasion. I am also interested in understanding the relationship between group identity symbols and level of construal.
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Mark Kurai
I study the experience of stigma, stereotyping, and prejudice—What makes people resilient to stigma? What consequences does stigma have for identity, emotion, and motivation? In this lab, my current research project examines how people respond when other groups appropriate their group symbols, and the implications this has for intergroup relations.
Amber Sanchez
I am interested in how psychological distance and subtle reminders of death impact the judgment and decision-making process.
Courtney Soderberg
I study attitude malleability in the areas of politics and prejudice -- specifically how multiple sources of input interact with each other to produce emergent attitudes and beliefs about particular targets. Currently, I am working on projects that look at how people’s perceptions of a target change depending on whether the target is viewed alone or with others, how ingroup and outgroup positions on a topic are integrated to inform group member opinions, and finally how group membership can help to create interattitudinal structure.
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Kevin McLemore
I am interested in stigma, stereotyping, and prejudice from the perspective of those who experience stigma. From this general interest, I have two lines of research. The first focuses on how individuals with a concealable stigma cope with experiences of prejudice and discrimination. The second focuses on how American ideologies (e.g., traditionalism) affect individuals whose social group is perceived to violate these ideologies. Both lines of research converge to understand how discriminatory experiences and perceived value violations affect a stigmatized individual's attitudes about the self and the devalued social group to which they belong.