Dr. Diana Sanchez, a professor and social psychologist from Rutgers University, hosted a talk to kick off our Distinguished Speaker Series on Racial Equity in Room 23 of the Psychology Building. This presentation was our first hybrid event of the year!
The talk was titled "Generalized prejudice lay theory: Implications for stigma and inclusion efforts."
How do people understand the biased beliefs of others, and how does this understanding affect their health and relationships? These are the central questions of this talk. Specifically, Dr. Sanchez proposes an expansion of our understanding of stigma and inclusion efforts by considering lay beliefs about generalized prejudice--the notion that people who express prejudice about one group harbor prejudice towards other groups. This presentation will review the “stigma by prejudice transfer” effect, including its automaticity, and demonstrate that marginalized group members who hold a generalized prejudice lay theory experience greater physiological and psychological threat in the face of outgroup prejudice than those who do not. Additionally, Dr. Sanchez will highlight who is most likely to hold this lay theory and to what effect. Finally, Dr. Sanchez will discuss how generalized prejudice influences inclusion efforts in organizational settings and the outcomes of interpersonal prejudice confrontations to shed light on underacknowledged pathways affecting intergroup relations.
We will continue to plan these events in the hybrid model as we move forward. If you are interested in attending virtually, follow us on Twitter for upcoming announcements.