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Sophie Trawalter

Sophie Trawalter

Associate Professor of Public Policy and Psychology
Education & Training
Ph.D. in Psychological & Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College
M.A. in Psychological & Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College
B.A. in Psychology, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
B.S. in Mathematics, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Courses taught
PSYC 2600 “Social Psychology”
PPOL 5025/PSYC 5559 “Wise Interventions: Social Psychology for Public Policy”
PPOL/PSYC 5035 “Leadership and Managing Diverse Groups”
PPOL 6745/PSYC 4750 “Stigma and Social Disparities”
Research interests
Social Psychology

I’m an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Psychology. I study phenomena related to social diversity. Specifically, I examine how people navigate intergroup contact and intergroup contexts. I am especially interested in how people develop competencies and learn to thrive in diverse spaces.

In one line of research, I investigate stress and coping responses to interracial contact. Within this line of research, I examine people’s short-term behavioral and physiological responses to interracial contact as well as longer-term, health-relevant physiological changes in response to diversity experiences. Other lines of research explore people’s ability to detect discrimination accurately and the social ecology of privilege. Ultimately, the aim of this work is to develop constructive strategies to cope with the challenges of diversity in organizations, public arenas, and private spaces. In time, such strategies may reduce intergroup tensions and improve outcomes for both traditionally stigmatized and non-stigmatized group members.

Related Content

What Is Good Isn't Always Fair: On the Unintended Effects of Framing Diversity as Good

Research

Many proponents of diversity stress that diversity is good—good for universities to further their educational missions and good for businesses, for hiring talent and generating financial returns to shareholders. In this work, we examined costs of framing diversity as good for organizations vs. fair; specifically, we examined whether framing diversity as good for organizations broadens people’s definitions of diversity and increases racial bias.
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