Jennifer Richeson, PhD

Cultural group diversity is a foundational feature of the United States and an increasingly salient feature of many other nations. It can, at times, be understood as a source of strength while, at other times, reveal, if not lead to, societal tension, inequality, or injustice. The members of the Social Perception and Communication Lab (SPCL) focus on the psychological processes that give rise to these and other outcomes of societal diversity. Specifically, they examine processes of mind and brain that influence how people experience and, thus, respond to racial and other forms of societal diversity. This work can be organized into three broad themes: 1) perceiving and reasoning about intergroup inequality, 2) navigating diverse environments, and 3) experiencing discrimination. Ultimately, they aim to unearth socio-cognitive and affective barriers to the creation and maintenance of social environments, cultures, and contexts that are diverse, equitable, and just.

behavioral testing ;  functional magnetic resonance imaging ;  naturalistic experiments  

decision-making ;  emotion ;  executive control ;  motivation ;  perception ;  social cognition  

Jennifer Richeson received her Bachelor of Science in psychology from Brown University and both an MA and a PhD in social psychology from Harvard University. Prior to joining Yale in 2016, she was the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University, where she was also a Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research. Outside of the lab, Richeson enjoys running about with her dog, Midas, playing most word and card games, but would almost always rather be at the beach.