David Butz
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Description of Research: My research is primarily focused on applying social-cognitive approaches to the study of prejudice and intergroup relations. In one line of my research, I consider the differential sources of anxious and hostile responses to interracial and interethnic contact. I am interested in understanding why some people become anxious and avoid intergroup interactions, whereas others experience a distinctly different pattern of responses characterized by intense anger and hostility.
In a secondary line of research, I examine the role of collective identification in outgroup attitudes. In this work I am interested in developing a deeper understanding of the nature of psychological responses to symbols of group identity (e.g., responses to symbols of one's school or one's nation). A particular emphasis of this work is on understanding the implications of exposure to symbols of identity for attitudes, judgments, and inferences about outgroup members.
Current Lab Members (Fall 2009) Role in lab
Katie Klik Graduate Research Assistant
Beth Evans Undergraduate Research Assistant
Shayla Miller Undergraduate Research Assistant
Jonathan Rakes Undergraduate Research Assistant