Current Research
Much of our research focuses on the process of person perception. We are particularly interested in the effects of social category information (e.g., whether someone is male or female) in order to understand processes that relate to stereotyping and prejudice. Some of our studies focus on understanding how social category information in encoded, and how that affects the activation and application of stereotypes. Other studies examine how stereotype activation and application can be changed. As part of this research, we investigate the mechanisms of behavior regulation and executive function. We also also begun to examine these same issues in two new contexts: how novel treatment strategies may facilitate the recovery of executive function following traumatic brain injury, and how these mechanisms relate to decisions regarding drug use.
Here is a description of some of our specific projects.
How We Extract Social Category Information From Faces
The purpose of this project is to understand the types of information we extract when we view a face. We are particularly focusing on information that is relevant to deciding an individual's social category memberships. We are using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to examine in detail the different processing stages that may be involved in assessing what social groups other people belong to, and how these early perceptual processes are related to the later activation of stereotypes and prejudice. We are also examining how social category information is combined with other facial information such as emotional expressions to affect impressions.
Individual Differences in Executive Functions and the Expression of Racial Biases
This is a collaborative project being conducted in conjunction with Akira Miyake and Naomi Friedman at CU, Bruce Bartholow at University of Missouri, and Josh Correll at University of Chicago. We are examining the role of individual differences in executive functions (EFs) — higher-order control processes that regulate thought and action — in the expression of implicit racial bias. Although an individual’s performance on laboratory-based implicit bias tasks often is interpreted as a straightforward manifestation of his/her underlying automatic bias, recent preliminary evidence suggests that performance on all such tasks implicates executive control processes, such as the overriding of dominant or prepotent responses. The purpose of this project is to understand the role of individual variability in EF abilities in the expressions of racial bias, as assessed by implicit bias tasks. We are examining this with both behavioral and neural measures of EF and implicit racial bias. This project is currently funded by NSF.
Understanding and Reducing the Gender Gap in Math and Science: Cognitive, Social, and Neural Mechanisms in Identity Threat
This is a collaborative project with CU psychologists Akira Miyake and Geoff Cohen and physicists Noah Finkelstein and Steven Pollockthat ultimately seeks to understand and ameliorate the gender gap that exists in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We are specifically examining the role of identity threat. For women in math and science, this threat takes the form of a fear that they could be judged in light of negative stereotypes about their gender group. We are examining how such identity or stereotype threat impairs performance and learning in math and science among female undergraduate students. We are also assessing whether and how self-affirmation alleviates threat's negative impact on women in math and science. We are particularly focusing on the effects of identity threat on working memory capacity and ironic behavior regulation effects. The latter occurs when normally productive sensitivity to performance feedback becomes excessive and interferes with performance and is being assessed with neural measures of performance monitoring. This project is currently funded by NSF and a Chancellor's Award for Excellence in STEM Education.
Genetic, Neural, and Social Predictors of Adolescent Marijuana Use
In collaboration with Angela Bryan, Kent Hutchison, Erik Willcutt, David Allen, and Akira Miyake, we are taking a multi-level perspective to understand marijuana use among adolescents. We are specifically looking at genetic, neural, and social factors that relate to behavior regulation, and how these factors explain current levels of marijuana use, as well as change in use over time. This project is currently funded by NIDA.
Neural Mechanisms of Stereotype Inhibition and Control
The goal of this project is to investigate the neural mechanisms involved in the inhibition of prejudice and stereotypes. We are specifically interested in how implicitly activated prejudicial and stereotypical associations are detected so that their influences may be subsequently inhibited. We are assessing the role of the anterior cingulate cortex and areas of prefrontal cortex in detecting prejudice and stereotypes using fMRI and ERPs.
Recovery of Function Following Traumatic Brain Injury
There are 1.5-2 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) a year in the US which can produce a host of deficits in the cognitive, physical, emotional and psychosocial domains. This project examines three issues. First, what are the underlying neural mechanisms of deficits in the cognitive domain? TBI often involves damage to the prefrontal cortex, a brain area important in regulatory and executive control processes. Using neuroimaging techniques, we are investigating specific aspects of executive function impaired by TBI, especially subtle deficits that may only appear when individuals are placed in more cognitively challenging environments. Second, what is the effectiveness and mechanisms through which complementary medical interventions improve performance after TBI? This is being assessed with longitudinal studies in which those with a TBI are assigned to different treatment conditions. Behavioral and neural effects of the treatment are being assessed. Third, how do beliefs and attitudes toward complementary medicine influence the effectiveness of treatment? This work is being done in collaboration with Theresa Hernandez and is supported by grants from the University of Colorado and Colorado Department of Human Services.