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Welcome to the Intergroup Relations Lab at Yale University!

The lab is dedicated to the study of intergroup relations and diversity. Its goal is to understand (a) the processes leading to prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination of racial and ethnic groups, sexual minorities, immigrants, those of varying socioeconomic status, people with disabilities, and those whose identities fall between normally-recognized social groups; (b) the experiences, adaptations, and resilience of members of stigmatized groups; and (c) how cultural bias and social power influence the nature of intergroup interactions in ways that create intergroup miscommunication and reinforce social prejudices, subtly contribute to social inequality, and hinder genuinely helpful interpersonal and intergroup behavior. Related lines of research also investigate methods of reducing intergroup bias, the processes that determine whether a collection of individuals is seen as a cohesive group, how people interpret the presence or absence of bias in ambiguous situations, and factors that undermine and facilitate collective action among stigmatized groups to bring about social change.

Research in the Intergroup Relations Lab incorporates a range of methodologies and techniques from social psychology, clinical psychology, political psychology, field research, social cognition, and neuroscience. Although experimental research is central, the work of the laboratory encompasses a range of different empirical approaches and interdisciplinary collaborations with those who study, for example, the law and public health. Topics are international in scope and bridge basic research with applications for social policy and interventions to improve intergroup relations and promote social equality.
 
Please note that Dr. Dovidio is not accepting new graduate students or hosting postdoctoral researchers at this time.