| My research investigates the science of diversity and self-regulation, focusing on how individual, group,
and institutional processes shape perception, communication, and performance. In one stream of research,
I examine how lay strategies for minimizing intergroup anxiety and prejudice turn ironically counterproductive.
Here, I consider why attempts to appear unbiased in social interaction can lead people to seem more biased and why institutional approaches to eliminating discrimination can actually fuel inequity. In a second research stream, I study the interplay of social norms, stigma, and self-regulation over the course of the lifespan. I explore the origins of politically correct behavior in children to the uninhibited candor found among the elderly. Integrating domains of social, developmental, and organizational psychology, I draw on a cross-disciplinary,
multi-method approach to tackle the unique challenges posed by an increasingly diverse society.
Above all, my research is unified by the pursuit of theoretically innovative science that carries practically
important implications for individual and group functioning.
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| Interpersonal and Institutional Approaches to Diversity
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| Apfelbaum, E. P., Pauker, K., Sommers, S. R., & Ambady, N. (in press). In blind pursuit of racial equality?
Psychological Science.
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| Apfelbaum, E. P., & Sommers, S. R. (in press). Law and diversity: The legal-behavioral science divide in how to
define, assess, and counteract bias. In Q. Robinson (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Diversity and Work.
Oxford University Press.
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| Apfelbaum, E. P., Sommers, S. R., & Norton, M. I. (2008). Seeing race and seeming racist? Evaluating strategic colorblindness
in social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 918-932.
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| Sommers, S. R., Apfelbaum, E. P., Dukes, K. N., Toosi, N., & Wang, E. (2006). Race and media coverage of Hurricane
Katrina: Analysis, implications, and future research questions. Analysis of Social Issues and
Public Policy, 6, 39-55.
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| Norton, M. I., Sommers, S. R., Apfelbaum, E. P., Pura, N., & Ariely, D. (2006). Colorblindness and interracial interaction: Playing the
political correctness game. Psychological Science, 17, 949-953.
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| Social Norms, Stigma, and Self-regulation Over the Lifespan
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| Apfelbaum, E. P., Krendl, A. C., & Ambady, N. (in press). Age-related decline in executive function predicts
better advice-giving in uncomfortable social contexts. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
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| Pauker, K., Ambady, N., & Apfelbaum, E. P. (in press). Race salience and essentialist thinking in racial stereotype
development. Child Development.
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| Freeman, J. B., Pauker, K., Apfelbaum, E. P., & Ambady, N. (2010). Continuous dynamics in the real-time perception of race.
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 179-185.
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| Apfelbaum, E. P., & Sommers, S. R. (2009).
Liberating effects of losing executive control: When regulatory strategies turn
maladaptive. Psychological Science, 20, 139-143.
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| Apfelbaum, E. P., Pauker, K., Ambady, N., Sommers, S. R., & Norton, M. I. (2008). Learning (not) to talk about race: When older children
underperform in social categorization. Developmental Psychology, 44, 1513-1518.
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