Throughout my career, I’ve focused on applying what we know about social psychology to problems in everyday life. In my research projects, I have used principles of attitude formation and change to persuade people to avoid risky health behaviors; I’ve explored the psychological consequences of rejected help, and the implications of this outcome for future helping behavior; Factors that contribute to aggressive or non-aggressive responses to interpersonal conflict have also been examined.

Recent projects on stereotyping and outgroup perception have centered on judgements based on the race, religion, sexual orientation, and political perspective of outgroup members. Perceptions about people in the groups to which one does not belong are often far more different than warranted. Objective assessment reveals that many people in these groups are, in fact, quite similar.

A methodologically based study examining the contemporary relevance of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) is a current project. This scale, which was the standard for decades, was developed in the early 1970s. Despite sweeping changes in gender role concepts, this dated scale is still used today. One of the most interesting findings so far is that women see many of the competency-based “masculine” scale items to be characteristic of them. In other words, the scale is likely not reflective of current gender roles.

 My interests are many and varied but have all centered on understanding and reducing real-life problems. My first love is teaching students about psychology, yet I believe that my research activity enhances my classroom performance. There is no shortage of examples, given this broad background!