Overview of Cooperation and Social Identity Research Group

Research Group Director: Ann Rumble, Ph.D. 

Broadly defined the Cooperation and Social Identity Research Group focuses on social psychology, and human interactions, specifically examining cooperation and reciprocity.  Three main areas of our work are cooperation and reciprocity, transgender discrimination, and police-community engagement.  Our work fundamentally is focused on improve human interactions and promoting cooperation and generosity between individuals and groups.

Ongoing projects in cooperation and reciprocity:

• How does group membership (e.g. race, political affiliation) impact cooperation and generosity, and how can we increase cooperation between outgroup members. Specifically, looking at social identity complexity and the expansion of social identity complexity.
• How does empathy can promote generous behavior with others.
• How/when are we more likely to give another person the benefit of the doubt during interactions, even when we may suffer a loss as a result.

Ongoing projects in Transgender/Non-binary discrimination and dehumanization:

• Diary study examining the lived experience of transgender and non-binary individuals. The affirmations of their gender identity and also the micro-aggressions they experience due to their gender identity. The level of social support they receive and how this may impact self-esteem and well-being.
• Housing discrimination study that examines the level of housing discrimination faced by transgender and non-binary individuals, and factors that may drive the discrimination, such as, disgust and misinformation.

Policing and community engagement

• Ongoing applied research on police-community interactions and how social psychology can help to break down barriers to effective and just policing practices.