Research
One line of research lies at the intersection of person perception and politics. Here, I examine classic person perception questions within the political domain to understand the behaviors of liberals and conservatives. For example, how do liberals and conservatives differ in categorizing individuals into stigmatized groups? Why do liberal and conservative social movements, such as Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party, diverge in their ability to develop consensus and strive toward collective goals? Do liberals and conservatives differ in how accurately they perceive similar and dissimilar others? I am currently examining the implications of liberals' and conservatives' perceptions of reality for successful relationship development, group coordination, and political change.
How does political ideology shape social perception processes and judgment accuracy?
How do perceptions of new acquaintances affect relationship formation?
In a separate line of work, I examine how people perceive and interact with new acquaintances in dyadic and group contexts. For example, how do people perceive interaction partners who do not share their social group membership (e.g., race, sexual orientation)? What strategies can people used to improve interactions with new acquaintances and foster long-term relationship development? I am currently examining how expectations and motivations shape the physiological and perceptual processes that unfold during cross-group encounters. I am also investigating how these processes impact relationship development and performance on tasks that require cooperation to succeed.
