Research
The CSULB Culture and Social Identity Development Lab aims to understand the experiences of diverse children as they begin to form their gender
and racial/ethnic identities. Our lab takes an applied approach with the goal of tackling relevant social issues that might affect
the healthy development of children and society more broadly. For example, issues like the underrepresentation of women in STEM (science, technology,
engineering, math) fields, racial disparities in health in the U.S., the drop-out of girls from sports during adolescence, the rise of eating disorders,
high rates of depression among women, and intimate partner violence might all have earlier developmental origins. We thus seek to investigate
children’s early attitudes (e.g., towards girls and boys, towards certain racial/ethnic groups), thoughts (e.g., stereotypes
like “math is for boys”), and behaviors (e.g., girls avoiding sports) that are linked with their developing gender and racial/ethnic
identities, with the goal of informing these broader social issues.
Our research integrates approaches and theory from both developmental psychology and social psychology. Our methods include observing children's identity-related behaviors in the laboratory through play activities and games. We also interview children and ask them about how they feel and think about their social identities. In addition, we interview parents to share with us their observations of their children.
Consistent with the mission and strategic priorities of CSULB, our lab greatly values diversity and giving back to the community. We include children and their families from the local Long Beach and Southern California community. Children in our studies come from multiple income, immigration, language, and racial/ethnic backgrounds. We give talks, workshops, and provide newsletters to local schools and community organizations.
Current research topics include: