Explore projects in Social Group Membership!
Projects in social group membership explore how belonging to various social groups—such as those based on ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, or shared interests—shapes individuals’ identity, attitudes, and behaviors. Grounded in social psychology, these studies examine how group membership influences self-concept, social perception, intergroup dynamics, and feelings of inclusion or exclusion. Researchers investigate topics such as in-group bias, out-group stereotyping, social identity formation, and the psychological impact of marginalization or discrimination. Many projects also focus on how group membership can foster belonging, resilience, and collective action, as well as how to reduce prejudice and promote intergroup understanding in diverse societies.
“Wikimania 2012 Group Photograph-0001a” by Helpameout is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported via Wikimedia Commons
- Reinforcing and motivating properties of social conformityProject Abstract/Summary The social groups to which we belong — families, friends, teams, companies, organizations — have a pervasive influence on our decision making. Indeed, people often abandon their own personal judgments and choices in favor of conforming to a group majority. In some cases, such alignment with the group may protect against social rejection and grant access to shared resources. However, research has shown that people also conform even when there is no social or economic gain for them.… Read more: Reinforcing and motivating properties of social conformity
- Collaborative Research: Trust across diverse contexts in early childhoodProject Abstract/Summary Trust – the belief in the truth, reliability, or ability of another person to do a promised action – is a cornerstone of everyday social interactions and relationships. Trust is also vital to many aspects of children’s development: they must decide who they should trust in order to learn new information (i.e., epistemic trust) and who they can trust for social support, reassurance, or to keep a promise (i.e., social trust). This project investigates how young children decide… Read more: Collaborative Research: Trust across diverse contexts in early childhood
- Collaborative Research: Trust across diverse contexts in early childhoodProject Abstract/Summary Trust – the belief in the truth, reliability, or ability of another person to do a promised action – is a cornerstone of everyday social interactions and relationships. Trust is also vital to many aspects of children’s development: they must decide who they should trust in order to learn new information (i.e., epistemic trust) and who they can trust for social support, reassurance, or to keep a promise (i.e., social trust). This project investigates how young children decide… Read more: Collaborative Research: Trust across diverse contexts in early childhood