Observer > 2021 > September/October
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342021Volume 34, Issue5September/October 2021
Combating Stereotypes and Bias
The challenges associated with addressing persistent inequality among marginalized communities have never been more apparent. Psychological science explores the roots, the risks, and the roads to meaningful behavioral change.
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Presidential Column

Jennifer L. Eberhardt
Stanford University
APS President 2021 - 2022
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In this Issue:
The Contact Conundrum: Reducing Conflict Through Intergroup Contact

About the Observer

The Observer is the online magazine of the Association for Psychological Science and covers matters affecting the research, academic, and applied disciplines of psychology. The magazine reports on issues of interest to psychologist scientists worldwide and disseminates information about the activities, policies, and scientific values of APS.

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Up Front

  • The Contact Conundrum: Reducing Conflict Through Intergroup Contact

    Individuals’ experiences as group members can dramatically impact their interpretations and expectations of experiences with members of other groups. To explore the science behind this, APS President Jennifer L. Eberhardt interviewed Linda R. Tropp, a professor of social psychology at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst who studies how group differences in status affect cross-group relations. Tropp has also worked with national organizations on initiatives to promote racial integration and equity, as well as with nongovernmental organizations to evaluate interventions designed to bridge group differences. The two began by discussing Tropp’s formative childhood in Gary, Indiana, an industrial city in the American Midwest that was a major site of Black migration in the mid-20th century, followed by significant  "White flight” starting in the 1960s.

Recent Research

  • Research Briefs

    Do Diversity Awards Discourage Applicants From Marginalized Groups From Pursuing More Lucrative Opportunities? Adriana L. Germano, Sianna A. Ziegler, Laura Banham, and Sapna Cheryan Psychological Science Offering awards to applicants from marginalized groups might unintentionally discourage applicants from pursuing more lucrative awards with unrestricted eligibility criteria. In four studies, Germano and colleagues found that participants from marginalized groups were more likely to prioritize the more lucrative of two unrestricted awards. However, when a less lucrative diversity award was also offered, they were more likely to prioritize it—in part because they felt the diversity award was for someone like them.

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