Valerie Purdie Greenaway

Valerie Purdie Greenaway

Research Interests

Ph.D., 2004, Stanford University

General Area of Research

Intergroup Relations & Diversity

Current Research

Our lab promotes the development of research regarding people with threatened identities, and examines the consequences of their experiences for intergroup relations. Any individual can have part of his/her identity that is devalued or stigmatized in some way—women in the sciences, gay/lesbian, bi-sexuals in American society, aging workers in technology firms, African-Americans in intellectual settings, certain immigrants in the U.S. We attempt to understand their experiences and, through research, uncover ways to improve how majority and minority group members “get along.” More recently our lab has incorporated broader lines of research that explores cultural psychology and economics as it applies to one’s group membership. To accomplish this mission, our research lab primarily conducts experimental laboratory and field studies. Our philosophy is to design experiments that closely mirror real-world phenomena. This often takes us into police departments, legal settings, schools, businesses, and beyond. In recent years, we have started to explore the use of psycho-physiological techniques to understand how threats to our identity affect basic biological responses. This research takes us back into the lab for basic experimental research. The ultimate goal of our research is to deepen our understanding of culture and intergroup relations in society and to eventually inform educational and public policy.

Courses Taught

Selected Publications

Sensitivity to status-based rejection: implications for African American students' college experience.

Mendoza-Denton R
Downey G
Purdie VJ
Davis A
Pietrzak J.

Stand-Your-Ground is losing ground for racial minorities' health

Valerie Purdie-Vaughns

Prevention of Stress-Provoked Endothelial Injury by Values Affirmation: a Proof of Principle Study.

Spicer J.
Shimbo D.
Johnston N.
Harlapur M.
Purdie-Vaughns V.
Cook J.
Fu J.
Burg MM.
Wager TD.

Needed Interventions to Reduce Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health

David R. Williams
Valerie Purdie-Vaughns

The Implicit Power Motive in Intergroup Dialogues About the History of Slavery

Ruth K. Ditlmann
Valerie Purdie-Vaughns
John F. Dovidio
Michael J. Naft

Loss of Institutional Trust Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Adolescents: A Consequence of Procedural Injustice and a Cause of Life-Span Outcomes.

Yeager DS
Purdie-Vaughns V
Hooper SY
Cohen GL