Social Psychologist Spotlight: Dr. Jennifer Richeson

Why I chose this person:


For this spotlight, I chose Dr. Jennifer Richeson because she is a highly influential woman of color in the field of social psychology. Simply put, she’s a badass. I was especially drawn to her work because it connects to topics we have recently discussed in class, such as race, prejudice, and ingroup and outgroup dynamics. Reviewing her research highlighted the importance of studying these topics and demonstrated how social psychology can deepen our understanding of race, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.



Background:


Dr. Jennifer Anne Richeson has been the Philip R. Allen Professor of Psychology at Yale University since 2016, a prestigious position recognizing her contributions to the field of social psychology. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with honors from Brown University in 1994 and continued her studies at Harvard University, where she earned both her M.A. (1997) and Ph.D. (2000) in social psychology. Before joining Yale, she was a Professor of Psychology and African American Studies at Northwestern University from 2005 to 2016. A fun fact: she also served on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology during President Biden’s administration. This council advises the President on how scientific research and technology can inform public policy, highlighting the impact of her work on both psychology and society. 



Research: 


Dr. Richeson’s research examines how people’s social identities—such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status—shape the way they think, feel, and behave, especially during intergroup relations. She is also interested in how our interactions and dynamics change as society becomes more diverse. Furthermore, her work explores how individuals experience and respond to discrimination and other intergroup challenges.


In one of her studies, Richeson and Trawalter (2008) examined whether the factors that make interracial interactions anxiety-provoking differ for White and Black individuals. The researchers compared conversations between college students in same-race dyads and interracial dyads, discussing topics about campus social life and then about race and diversity among the student population. Participants’ behavior was recorded and coded to assess levels of anxiety. 


Richeson and Trawalter (2008) found that White participants acted more anxiously during interracial interactions than during same-race interactions. They also appeared more anxious than Black participants during race-related conversations. Interestingly, White participants were anxious regardless of the topics, while Black participants were notably less anxious when discussing race-related topics than when discussing neutral topics. 


These findings by Richeson and Trawalter (2008) show that interracial interactions are not stressful in the same way for everyone. People from different racial groups may enter these conversations with different concerns. For example, White participants may worry about appearing prejudiced, while Black participants may be more used to discussing race. These different perspectives can shape how interracial conversations unfold and help explain why these interactions can sometimes feel uncomfortable.

 


Personal Information: 


Dr. Richeson was born on September 12, 1972, in Baltimore, Maryland. She is married to Burgwell Howard, the current Associate Vice President of Student Life at Yale University. Outside of work, she enjoys running with her dog, Midas, playing card games, and spending time at the beach. In an interview, she shared that she finds joy in her work, trash TV, her family, community, art, literature, and friendships. Interestingly, she studied ballet for 13 years and even considered pursuing it as a career before ultimately deciding to go to college.


Her dog, Midas

N = 547


Honor Code: I have acted with honesty and integrity in producing this work and am unaware of anyone who has not. /s/ Maya Moran Piedfort


References:


Burgwell Howard Yale University Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life https://secretary.yale.edu/burgwell-howard

Jennifer Richeson. Yale University Department of Psychology. https://psychology.yale.edu/people/jennifer-richeson

Jennifer Richeson Bio https://spcl.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2025-06/RichesonBioSPR25.pdf

Jennifer Richeson CV https://psychology.yale.edu/sites/default/files/richesoncv9_24.pdf

Jennifer Richeson Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality https://stonecenter.gc.cuny.edu/people/richeson-jennifer/ 

“Out of the Lab with Jennifer Richeson and Sophie Trawalter.” Society for Personality and Social Psychology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFTlPCme64w

Trawalter, S., & Richeson, J. A. (2008). Let's Talk About Race, Baby! When Whites' and Blacks' Interracial Contact Experiences Diverge. Journal of experimental social psychology, 44(4), 1214–1217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2008.03.013


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