In the Social Perception Lab, we investigate a number of questions related to prejudice, discrimination, and intergroup relations. We are currently running studies across a wide area of topics. Below are a list of current research projects we are investigating.
- Perceptions of Discrimination: We are currently conducting studies that focus on when people label situations as discrimination. Specifically, we have used prototype theory to better understand why people may fail to label a claim as racial or gender discrimination.
- Perceptions of Political Groups and Political Censorship: We have been running studies focusing on factors that can impact how people view both political moderate and political extremists within the U.S. We are currently attempting to understand how these perceptions relate to political censorship in America.
- Dehumanization and Criminal Justice: We are conducting research in our lab that focuses on how people dehumanize those who have either previously been incarcerated or are currently incarcerated.
- Sexual Harassment: We are attempting to examine factors that impact how people view sexual harassment claims. We are interested in why people may view a sexual harassment claim as illegitimate.
Overall, our research is primarily interested in how people identify discrimination, when and why people dehumanize others, and what influence people’s thoughts about prejudice. Our lab is lucky to have amazing graduate and undergraduate students who have presented research at conferences, won research related awards, and have published articles in academic journals.
To find out more about our recent conference presentation, click here. To see a list of recent grants and awards, click here. To read some of our more recent publications, click here.