The lab group is currently
working on several projects related to cognition, attitudes, and behavior from
the perspective of social role theory. In particular, projects focus on the
origins and consequences of social roles, including how these roles change
over time, influence evaluations of others, and contribute to group
differences in attitudes and behavior.
How do
people perceive social change, and when do they adapt to it versus react
against it? In these projects, we focus both on change in gender roles and
general processes underlying change.
These
projects span different topics that focus on the goals that people choose and
how they pursue them. In particular, we adopt a role congruity perspective
that posits that people are motivated to fit into broader societal roles
(including gender roles). Our current projects focus particularly on
anticipated roles throughout the lifespan and on perceptions of role
flexiblity. Other work applies the role congruity perspective to
understanding sex differences as well as prejudice.
These
projects examine how gender influences political attitudes and decisions. We
examine sex differences in sociopolitical attitudes, as well as responses to
male and female political candidates.