Jennifer Richeson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jennifer Richeson
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| Born | September 12, 1972 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S
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| Nationality | American |
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| Doctoral advisor | Nalini Ambady |
Jennifer A. Richeson (born September 12, 1972) is an American social psychologist. She studies how people think about race and how different groups interact.
Currently, she is a professor of psychology at Yale University. She leads the Social Perception and Communication Lab there. Before Yale, Dr. Richeson taught at Northwestern University. In 2015, she joined the United States National Academy of Sciences. This is a very important group of top scientists. Since 2021, she has also advised the U.S. President on science and technology.
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Early Life and Inspiration
Jennifer Richeson grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Her neighborhood was mostly white and middle-class. Her father was a businessman, and her mother was a school principal.
She has said that she was not a very good student when she was young. But things changed when she moved to schools with more diverse students. She went to a mostly Black middle school and an all-girls high school.
She noticed that advanced classes had very few African-American students. This made her want to become a student activist. These early experiences helped her become interested in how people see themselves and how different groups interact.
Education Journey
Dr. Richeson earned her first degree (Sc.B. in psychology) from Brown University in 1994. She then went to Harvard University. There, she earned her master's (M.A.) and Ph.D. degrees in social psychology. She finished her Ph.D. in 2000. Her main teacher and guide during her Ph.D. was Nalini Ambady.
A Career in Psychology
Dr. Richeson started her teaching career in 2000. She became an assistant professor at Dartmouth College. Later, in 2005, she moved to Northwestern University. There, she taught psychology and African-American studies.
In 2016, she joined Yale University. She is now the Philip R. Allen Professor of Psychology. She also directs the Social Perception and Communication Lab at Yale. Her work focuses on using research to solve real-world problems.
Besides teaching and research, Dr. Richeson also writes articles for newspapers and magazines. She shares her ideas on topics related to race. Her articles have appeared in places like The Washington Post and The Atlantic. She often writes about how we think about racial progress in the United States.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Richeson has received many important awards for her work.
- In 2006, she won a MacArthur Fellowship. This award is also called a "genius grant." She received it for her studies on prejudice and stereotyping.
- The American Psychological Association honored her for her creative work. They recognized her for studying how prejudice, discrimination, and intergroup relations work.
- In April 2015, she was named a Guggenheim Fellow.
- Later that month, she was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences. This is a very high honor for scientists.
- She has also received honorary degrees, including one from her old university, Brown University.
Understanding Human Interactions
Dr. Richeson is known for her research on cultural diversity. She studies how people belong to different social groups. She also looks at how race and racism affect people. Her lab at Yale focuses on three main areas:
Thinking About Inequality
Dr. Richeson and her team study common ideas about racial progress. They have shown that some people believe racial equality will happen automatically. Her research found that people who believe in a "just world" might overestimate how much equality there is. This means they might think Black and White people are more equal than they really are.
Her work also shows that learning about inequalities can make people want to support changes. These changes would help fix unfairness in society. She found that people who understand racism as a big, structural problem are more likely to support these changes.
Dr. Richeson's research looks at how people react to a changing population. For example, some studies show that white Americans become more politically conservative. This happens when they realize the white population share is declining. This work is important for understanding future politics.
She also uses special brain scans (like fMRI) to study how people interact. Her research shows that white people with hidden racial biases use more mental effort during interracial interactions. This effort helps them avoid showing prejudice. It can also create a more positive environment for everyone.
Experiences of Discrimination
Dr. Richeson and her lab study how people deal with discrimination. They found that taking a step back and looking at a stressful situation from a distance can help. This can reduce the negative effects of discrimination on mental and physical health. They suggest that having a "redemption narrative" (a story of overcoming challenges) can help.
Her research also explores how experiencing discrimination affects relationships with other groups. When people feel discriminated against, they might feel closer to groups with similar identities. For example, racial minorities might feel more connected to each other. However, they might feel less positive towards groups with different identities, like sexual minorities. Dr. Richeson believes that recognizing shared experiences of discrimination can help different groups connect. This can lead to more solidarity and reduce negative feelings between them.
