Trawalter, Sophie
Primary Appointment
Professor of Public Policy and Psychology, Psychology
Contact Information
204B Gilmer Hall
Email: st2pa@virginia.edu
Research Disciplines
Psychology
Research Interests
Psychological phenomena related to diversity
Research Description
I am interested in psychological phenomena related to diversity. I am particularly interested in how people develop competencies for life in diverse spaces. To that end, I have studied (1) the dynamics of intergroup contact, (2) group-based social cognition, and (3) group-based social ecology. These three broad areas have allowed me to address important questions; most notably (A) how can we make the lived realities of Black Americans more visible to White Americans?, (B) how can we improve the quality and outcomes of interracial interactions?, and (C) how can we increase historically stigmatized group members’ sense of place in historically discriminatory institutions? The aim of these lines of research, taken together, is to reduce intergroup tensions and improve the life outcomes of historically stigmatized and non-stigmatized group members.
www.sophietrawalter.com
UNLEASH (Undergraduate Research)
In our lab, we study phenomena related to diversity. We are especially interested in how individuals develop competencies for life in diverse spaces. Some current lines of research examine 1) stress and coping responses to interracial contact, 2) prejudice detection, and 3) the social ecology of privilege. The goal of our research is to find ways to improve intergroup contact and intergroup relations so that all members of society may attain positive life outcomes.
We are looking for student research assistants to help with: collecting data (e.g., running studies in the lab, distributing surveys, coding nonverbal data), conducting literature searches, and entering data.
Contact: SCABL Lab Manager scabl.uva@gmail.com