About Me
Background
I am currently a second-year Social Psychology doctoral student at Rutgers University, working primarily with Dr. Laurie Rudman, and also with Dr. Diana Sanchez. I studied Psychology, Creative Writing and French at New York University, and completed my senior honors thesis with Dr. Madeline Heilman on the topic of negative reactions to women who fail to behave in a female sex-typed way. I then worked as the research assistant at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity with Dr. Kelly Brownell, completing projects on bias and stereotyping directed towards overweight invididuals. I remain a regular contributor to the Rudd Center's Blog, Rudd Sound Bites.
Research Interests
My primary research interests include stereotyping processes and intergroup conflict, gender roles, and implicit attitudes. More specifically, I am interested in how stereotypes shape behavior processes and self-monitoring, and how they in turn impact politics, the media, and health outcomes. My current work with Dr. Laurie Rudman focuses on actors' awareness of backlash for stereotype violations, and how it can paradoxically lead to behaviors that perpetuate cultural stereotypes. For example, my master's thesis investigates factors contributing to women's relative difficult self-advocating as compared to male counterparts. I propose that women fear backlash (social and economic sanctions) for this counter-stereotypical behavior, and as a result, employ a preventative self-regulatory focus that decreases their self-advocacy abilities. An additional line of research in collaboration with Dr. Diana Sanchez examines the role of stigma in close relationships, specifically focusing on how awareness of gender stereoyptes affects relationship quality and sexists attitudes. Also, we are currently investigating the ways in which several factors (including ascribing to traditional gender ideals) impact relationship satisfaction.
Other
In addition to my primary research projects, I am interested in social justice issues, the gendering of politics and candidate perception, weight bias and body image, and sexuality and romantic relationships. I'm currently enrolled in courses on implicit methodology and assessment, multivariate regression, and the psychology of hatred and mass killing. Outside of academic pursuits, I heart music, pilates, going running, competitive gaming, and the food network.