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Robert W. Livingston

  • SPN Mentor

Broadly speaking, my research investigates the antecedents, contingencies, and consequences of prejudice. Given the ubiquity of ethnocentric bias across centuries, cultures, and individuals, one question concerns the social, cognitive, motivational, and biological factors that contribute to “nonprejudice.” What are the mechanisms that enable a few individuals to avoid racial bias altogether (both consciously and nonconsciously) and how might these findings inform techniques of prejudice reduction?

A second line of research examines whether the underlying structure and function of prejudice systematically differs for different groups in society. I posit that structural variables such as status, power, and goal compatibility interact to produce distinct intergroup “images,” emotions, and prejudice contingencies, and that a more textured understanding of the qualitative differences underlying general negative evaluations is crucial for programs of conflict resolution.

Finally, I am interested in the impact of prejudice and social stigma on academic performance, physical health, and psychological well-being.

Primary Interests:

  • Intergroup Relations
  • Law and Public Policy
  • Prejudice and Stereotyping
  • Social Cognition
  • Intergroup Relations
  • Law and Public Policy
  • Prejudice and Stereotyping
  • Social Cognition

Journal Articles:

  • Alexander, M. G., Brewer, M. B., & Livingston, R. W. (2005). Putting stereotype content in context: Image theory and interethnic stereotypes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
  • Klein, O., Snyder, M., & Livingston, R. W. (2004). Prejudice on the stage: Self-monitoring and the public expression of group attitudes. British Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 299-314.
  • Livingstone, R. W., & Pearce, N. A. (2009). The teddy-bear effect: Does having a baby face benefit Black chief executive officers? Psychological Science, 20(10), 1229-1236.
  • Livingston, R. W. (2002). The role of perceived negativity in the moderation of African Americans' implicit and explicit racial attitudes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 405-413.
  • Livingston, R. W. (2001). What you see is what you get: Systematic variability in perceptual-based social judgment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 1086-1096.
  • Livingston, R. W., & Brewer, M. B. (2002) What are we really priming?: Cue-based versus category-based processing of facial stimuli. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 5-18.

Other Publications:

  • Livingston, R. W. (2004). Demystifying the nonconscious: Unintentional bias in society and the media. In J. Williams, W. Lee, & C. Haugtvedt (Eds.), Diversity in Advertising (pp. 59-73). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Robert W. Livingston
Kellogg School of Management
Northwestern University
2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

Phone: (847) 467-4030
Fax: (847) 491-8896

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