Diversity and Inclusion Research
Many of our faculty are extensively involved with diversity research initiatives. Explore the academic and research endeavors of just a few of our faculty below.
Experimental research with Kiley Gilbert on the influence of peer-based social norm information on undergraduate attitudes about and behavioral intentions toward diversity and inclusion on a university campus showed that such actual peer feedback conveying positive social norms, compared to a control group, lowered intergroup anxiety about diversity and inclusion. By contrast, participants' affective sense of belonging in the university community predicted more favorable attitudes toward diversity and a greater likelihood of engaging in diversity-related activities even over a 6-week follow-up interval. This research is under peer review.
Developmental approaches to understanding children's perceptions and experiences with ethnic/racial discrimination from multiple perpetrators (i.e., peers, educators, and law enforcement). Ethnic/racial socialization and identity development.
Reading and visual processing in people with vision loss and other visual disorders. Development of aids and diagnostic tests for people with visual disorders.
Political psychology; intergroup relations and racial attitudes; the psychology of legitimacy
Understanding neural mechanisms of neurodiversity across species; understanding sex mechanisms in the brain as encompassing multiple, separable variables (that are distinct from gender)
Racism and Health; Social and Psychology Determinants of Health; Health Disparities and Health Equity.
Understanding genetic and environmental influences on mental and physical health outcomes in culturally and ethnically diverse groups
Culture-specific risk and protective factors (discrimination, ethnic-racial identity, acculturation, ethnic-racial socialization); transracial, transnational adoption; culture and prevention
Human attention and memory in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD); brain mechanisms that allow humans to perceive, attend, learn, and remember visual input; visual and cognitive decision making
Disability: impact of impaired vision on reading, mobility and other activities of daily life.
Minnesota Laboratory for Low-Vision Research
Minority stress, anxious arousal, fear-learning and excessive behavioral avoidance
Health behavior change, particularly in the context of women and dieting; Self-control; Stress and eating; Women and weight stigma
Application of advanced modeling techniques.
- Identifying mechanisms linking race, gender, and sexual identity marginalization to disparities in parental well-being.
- Mixture modeling to understand how and why language brokering is a source of stress and/or resilience for young members of immigrant families.
Teaching practices that support feelings of inclusion and belonging
Personnel selection and classification; personality assessment and research; cross-cultural research
Hearing loss can create disabilities that affect everyday life with consequences for social and professional interactions. Our work seeks to improve our ability to diagnose and treat hearing loss.
Investigating possible sources of unfairness and bias in tests and other measures used for personnel selection and college admission.
Social development outcomes examined in the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation, a 45+ year sample born below the poverty line.
Personality, motivation, and social behavior; with special emphasis on the psychology of individual and collective action in response to social issues and societal challenges through volunteerism, community engagement, and other forms of social action.
Identity development among culturally and ethnically diverse youth; intersections among multiple identities; narrative psychology