Victoria C Plaut
Biographic Data
| ID | 648987 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Victoria C Plaut |
| GIVEN NAMES | Victoria C |
| FAMILY NAME | Plaut |
| SIGNATURE | PLAUT V C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of California, Berkeley |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2764-2594 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 384 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
A raceless legal psychology in a system marked by race
Despite the fact that evidence of racial inequality in the U.S. criminal legal system has become overwhelming, the field of legal psychology has largely ignored issues of race and systemic racism. Although legal psychology focuses on a system that has disproportionately affected certain racial groups, and much of the field questions the fairness of the system, its research seems to rarely take a critical approach to account for racial and systemi…
Double isolation: Identity expression threat predicts greater gender disparities in computer science
Three studies examine the relationship between women’s expression of interest in computer science and identity expression threat, the concern about conveying an identity inconsistent with one's gender role. Undergraduates perceive academic majors to signal who they are to peers (Study 1). Women imagining majoring in computer science report greater identity expression threat from their peers outside computer science than from those inside the fiel…
Do Color Blindness and Multiculturalism Remedy or Foster Discrimination and Racism?
This article offers insight from psychological science into whether models of diversity (e.g., color blindness and multiculturalism) remedy or foster discrimination and racism. First, we focus on implications of a color-blind model. Here, the literature suggests that while color blindness appeals to some individuals, it can decrease individuals’ sensitivity to racism and discrimination. Furthermore, the literature suggests that, with some excepti…
Race and ethnicity in the workplace: Spotlighting the perspectives of historically stigmatized groups
Racial and ethnic identity matter and are salient for people in the workplace--a place where people spend a substantial amount of their time. This special issue brings the workplace into the domain of racial and ethnic minority psychology. It also brings to the study of the workplace a relatively neglected perspective: that of people from historically stigmatized racial and ethnic groups. Though there is, of course, need for more work with differ…
The Stereotypical Computer Scientist: Gendered Media Representations as a Barrier to Inclusion for Women
Identity Form Matters: White Racial Identity and Attitudes Toward Diversity
Previous research has drawn mixed conclusions regarding the relationship between White racial identity and attitudes toward diversity. We propose that identity form may help to disambiguate this relationship. In the present study, White participants wrote brief essays and were grouped based on their exhibition of one of three White identity forms: power-cognizant, prideful, or weakly identified. These groups were then compared on measures of Whit…
Multiculturalism and Diversity: A Social Psychological Perspective
Regional Collectivism in Appalachia and Academic Attitudes
Prior research on Appalachian students has noted key differences in academic performance compared to the general population, but few researchers have examined the influence of cultural values on academic attitudes. The current study tested the hypothesis that the association between collectivism and academic attitudes (i.e., academic efficacy, school connectedness, and fear of academic success) would be stronger among Appalachian students than am…
What about me?” Perceptions of exclusion and Whites' reactions to multiculturalism
A 5-study investigation of reactions of dominant group members (i.e., White Americans) to diversity (relative to racial minority reactions) provides evidence of implicit and explicit associations between multiculturalism and exclusion and of a relationship between perceived exclusion and reactions to diversity. In Study 1, Whites but not racial minorities were faster in an implicit association task at pairing multiculturalism with exclusion than …
Predicting Whether Multiculturalism Positively or Negatively Influences White Americans’ Intergroup Attitudes: The Role of Ethnic Identification
Multiculturalism, or the belief that racial and ethnic differences should be acknowledged and appreciated, has been met with both positive reactions (e.g., decreased prejudice) and negative reactions (e.g., perceptions of threat) from dominant group members. The present research proposes that multiculturalism can either positively or negatively influence White Americans’ intergroup attitudes depending on their degree of ethnic identification. In …
Diversity Science: Why and How Difference Makes a Difference
This article proposes that addressing the complex ethnic and racial issues of the 21st century will require a diversity science. A diversity science will consider how people create, interpret, and maintain group differences among individuals, as well as the psychological and societal consequences of these distinctions. A diversity science will recognize that these significant social distinctions (in the case of this article, race and ethnicity) a…
Explaining Underrepresentation: A Theory of Precluded Interest
What processes best explain women's underrepresentation in science, math, and engineering fields in the U.S.? Do they also explain men's underrepresentation in the humanities? Two survey studies across two U.S. West Coast universities (N = 62; N = 614) addressed these questions in the context of two fields: one male-dominated (computer science) and the other female-dominated (English). Among a set of social predictors-including perceived similari…
Ethos of independence across regions in the United States: The production-adoption model of cultural change
Contemporary U.S. culture has a highly individualistic ethos. Nevertheless, exactly how this ethos was historically fostered remains unanalyzed. A new model of dynamic cultural change maintains that sparsely populated, novel environments that impose major threats to survival, such as the Western frontier in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries, breed strong values of independence, which in turn guide the production of new practice…
Is Multiculturalism or Color Blindness Better for Minorities
Multiculturalism, a pluralistic ideology, stresses recognizing and celebrating group differences, whereas color blindness, an assimilationist ideology, stresses ignoring or minimizing group differences. Among dominant-group members, multiculturalism whether experimentally manipulated or measured as an individual difference predicts lower bias, whereas color blindness predicts greater bias. In a field study, we investigated the effects of Whites’ …
Does attractiveness buy happiness? “It depends on where you’re from”
Previous studies document that attractiveness predicts life outcomes, including well‐being and social connectedness. This study investigates whether the attractiveness–outcomes link is especially strong in settings, such as many urban areas, that promote relationship constructions as a product of personal choice. This link may weaken in settings, such as many rural areas, that promote less voluntaristic‐independent relationship constructions. Ana…
Ambient belonging: How stereotypical cues impact gender participation in computer science
People can make decisions to join a group based solely on exposure to that group's physical environment. Four studies demonstrate that the gender difference in interest in computer science is influenced by exposure to environments associated with computer scientists. In Study 1, simply changing the objects in a computer science classroom from those considered stereotypical of computer science (e.g., Star Trek poster, video games) to objects not c…
Unlocking the Benefits of Diversity: All-Inclusive Multiculturalism and Positive Organizational Change
As the demographic composition of organizations in the United States rapidly shifts, such that minority groups are becoming the numerical and economic majority, organizations are grappling with ways to manage diversity in the workplace. The two forms of diversity initiatives most frequently implemented in organizations—colorblindness and multiculturalism—have clear benefits; however, each also contributes to feelings of exclusion by different org…
The cultural grounding of personal relationship: The importance of attractiveness in everyday life
Previous research has suggested that physically attractive people experience more positive life outcomes than do unattractive people. However, the importance of physical attractiveness in everyday life may vary depending on the extent to which different cultural worlds afford or require individual choice in the construction and maintenance of personal relationships. The authors hypothesized that attractiveness matters more for life outcomes in se…
The cultural grounding of personal relationship: Friendship in North American and West African worlds
This study considers how different constructions of self and social reality influence the experience of relationship. Reflecting the relational interdependence of West African worlds, the authors hypothesized and observed that Ghanaian participants were significantly more likely than U.S.A. participants ( n s = 50 each) to advocate caution toward friends and to emphasize practical assistance in friendship. Reflecting the atomistic independence of…
Place matters: Consensual features and regional variation in American well-being and self
Consensual and regionally distinct features of well-being and self were examined in a nationally representative survey of midlife Americans (ages 25-75). Consistent with key American ideology, Study 1 found that a majority of Americans believe they have high levels of mastery, purpose, life satisfaction, overall health, family and work obligation, and partner and family support. Study 2 found distinct regional well-being profiles (e.g., New Engla…
Ambient belonging: How stereotypical cues impact gender participation in computer science
People can make decisions to join a group based solely on exposure to that group's physical environment. Four studies demonstrate that the gender difference in interest in computer science is influenced by exposure to environments associated with computer scientists. In Study 1, simply changing the objects in a computer science classroom from those considered stereotypical of computer science (e.g., Star Trek poster, video games) to objects not c…
What about me?” Perceptions of exclusion and Whites' reactions to multiculturalism
A 5-study investigation of reactions of dominant group members (i.e., White Americans) to diversity (relative to racial minority reactions) provides evidence of implicit and explicit associations between multiculturalism and exclusion and of a relationship between perceived exclusion and reactions to diversity. In Study 1, Whites but not racial minorities were faster in an implicit association task at pairing multiculturalism with exclusion than …
Explaining Underrepresentation: A Theory of Precluded Interest
What processes best explain women's underrepresentation in science, math, and engineering fields in the U.S.? Do they also explain men's underrepresentation in the humanities? Two survey studies across two U.S. West Coast universities (N = 62; N = 614) addressed these questions in the context of two fields: one male-dominated (computer science) and the other female-dominated (English). Among a set of social predictors-including perceived similari…
The Stereotypical Computer Scientist: Gendered Media Representations as a Barrier to Inclusion for Women
Ethos of independence across regions in the United States: The production-adoption model of cultural change
Contemporary U.S. culture has a highly individualistic ethos. Nevertheless, exactly how this ethos was historically fostered remains unanalyzed. A new model of dynamic cultural change maintains that sparsely populated, novel environments that impose major threats to survival, such as the Western frontier in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries, breed strong values of independence, which in turn guide the production of new practice…
The cultural grounding of personal relationship: The importance of attractiveness in everyday life
Previous research has suggested that physically attractive people experience more positive life outcomes than do unattractive people. However, the importance of physical attractiveness in everyday life may vary depending on the extent to which different cultural worlds afford or require individual choice in the construction and maintenance of personal relationships. The authors hypothesized that attractiveness matters more for life outcomes in se…
Race and ethnicity in the workplace: Spotlighting the perspectives of historically stigmatized groups
Racial and ethnic identity matter and are salient for people in the workplace--a place where people spend a substantial amount of their time. This special issue brings the workplace into the domain of racial and ethnic minority psychology. It also brings to the study of the workplace a relatively neglected perspective: that of people from historically stigmatized racial and ethnic groups. Though there is, of course, need for more work with differ…
A raceless legal psychology in a system marked by race
Despite the fact that evidence of racial inequality in the U.S. criminal legal system has become overwhelming, the field of legal psychology has largely ignored issues of race and systemic racism. Although legal psychology focuses on a system that has disproportionately affected certain racial groups, and much of the field questions the fairness of the system, its research seems to rarely take a critical approach to account for racial and systemi…
Multiculturalism and Diversity: A Social Psychological Perspective
Regional Collectivism in Appalachia and Academic Attitudes
Prior research on Appalachian students has noted key differences in academic performance compared to the general population, but few researchers have examined the influence of cultural values on academic attitudes. The current study tested the hypothesis that the association between collectivism and academic attitudes (i.e., academic efficacy, school connectedness, and fear of academic success) would be stronger among Appalachian students than am…
Place matters: Consensual features and regional variation in American well-being and self
Consensual and regionally distinct features of well-being and self were examined in a nationally representative survey of midlife Americans (ages 25-75). Consistent with key American ideology, Study 1 found that a majority of Americans believe they have high levels of mastery, purpose, life satisfaction, overall health, family and work obligation, and partner and family support. Study 2 found distinct regional well-being profiles (e.g., New Engla…
Place matters: Consensual features and regional variation in American well-being and self
Consensual and regionally distinct features of well-being and self were examined in a nationally representative survey of midlife Americans (ages 25-75). Consistent with key American ideology, Study 1 found that a majority of Americans believe they have high levels of mastery, purpose, life satisfaction, overall health, family and work obligation, and partner and family support. Study 2 found distinct regional well-being profiles (e.g., New Engla…
The cultural grounding of personal relationship: Friendship in North American and West African worlds
This study considers how different constructions of self and social reality influence the experience of relationship. Reflecting the relational interdependence of West African worlds, the authors hypothesized and observed that Ghanaian participants were significantly more likely than U.S.A. participants ( n s = 50 each) to advocate caution toward friends and to emphasize practical assistance in friendship. Reflecting the atomistic independence of…
Unlocking the Benefits of Diversity: All-Inclusive Multiculturalism and Positive Organizational Change
As the demographic composition of organizations in the United States rapidly shifts, such that minority groups are becoming the numerical and economic majority, organizations are grappling with ways to manage diversity in the workplace. The two forms of diversity initiatives most frequently implemented in organizations—colorblindness and multiculturalism—have clear benefits; however, each also contributes to feelings of exclusion by different org…
The cultural grounding of personal relationship: The importance of attractiveness in everyday life
Previous research has suggested that physically attractive people experience more positive life outcomes than do unattractive people. However, the importance of physical attractiveness in everyday life may vary depending on the extent to which different cultural worlds afford or require individual choice in the construction and maintenance of personal relationships. The authors hypothesized that attractiveness matters more for life outcomes in se…
Is Multiculturalism or Color Blindness Better for Minorities
Multiculturalism, a pluralistic ideology, stresses recognizing and celebrating group differences, whereas color blindness, an assimilationist ideology, stresses ignoring or minimizing group differences. Among dominant-group members, multiculturalism whether experimentally manipulated or measured as an individual difference predicts lower bias, whereas color blindness predicts greater bias. In a field study, we investigated the effects of Whites’ …
Does attractiveness buy happiness? “It depends on where you’re from”
Previous studies document that attractiveness predicts life outcomes, including well‐being and social connectedness. This study investigates whether the attractiveness–outcomes link is especially strong in settings, such as many urban areas, that promote relationship constructions as a product of personal choice. This link may weaken in settings, such as many rural areas, that promote less voluntaristic‐independent relationship constructions. Ana…
Ambient belonging: How stereotypical cues impact gender participation in computer science
People can make decisions to join a group based solely on exposure to that group's physical environment. Four studies demonstrate that the gender difference in interest in computer science is influenced by exposure to environments associated with computer scientists. In Study 1, simply changing the objects in a computer science classroom from those considered stereotypical of computer science (e.g., Star Trek poster, video games) to objects not c…
Predicting Whether Multiculturalism Positively or Negatively Influences White Americans’ Intergroup Attitudes: The Role of Ethnic Identification
Multiculturalism, or the belief that racial and ethnic differences should be acknowledged and appreciated, has been met with both positive reactions (e.g., decreased prejudice) and negative reactions (e.g., perceptions of threat) from dominant group members. The present research proposes that multiculturalism can either positively or negatively influence White Americans’ intergroup attitudes depending on their degree of ethnic identification. In …
Diversity Science: Why and How Difference Makes a Difference
This article proposes that addressing the complex ethnic and racial issues of the 21st century will require a diversity science. A diversity science will consider how people create, interpret, and maintain group differences among individuals, as well as the psychological and societal consequences of these distinctions. A diversity science will recognize that these significant social distinctions (in the case of this article, race and ethnicity) a…
Explaining Underrepresentation: A Theory of Precluded Interest
What processes best explain women's underrepresentation in science, math, and engineering fields in the U.S.? Do they also explain men's underrepresentation in the humanities? Two survey studies across two U.S. West Coast universities (N = 62; N = 614) addressed these questions in the context of two fields: one male-dominated (computer science) and the other female-dominated (English). Among a set of social predictors-including perceived similari…
Ethos of independence across regions in the United States: The production-adoption model of cultural change
Contemporary U.S. culture has a highly individualistic ethos. Nevertheless, exactly how this ethos was historically fostered remains unanalyzed. A new model of dynamic cultural change maintains that sparsely populated, novel environments that impose major threats to survival, such as the Western frontier in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries, breed strong values of independence, which in turn guide the production of new practice…
Identity Form Matters: White Racial Identity and Attitudes Toward Diversity
Previous research has drawn mixed conclusions regarding the relationship between White racial identity and attitudes toward diversity. We propose that identity form may help to disambiguate this relationship. In the present study, White participants wrote brief essays and were grouped based on their exhibition of one of three White identity forms: power-cognizant, prideful, or weakly identified. These groups were then compared on measures of Whit…
Multiculturalism and Diversity: A Social Psychological Perspective
Regional Collectivism in Appalachia and Academic Attitudes
Prior research on Appalachian students has noted key differences in academic performance compared to the general population, but few researchers have examined the influence of cultural values on academic attitudes. The current study tested the hypothesis that the association between collectivism and academic attitudes (i.e., academic efficacy, school connectedness, and fear of academic success) would be stronger among Appalachian students than am…
What about me?” Perceptions of exclusion and Whites' reactions to multiculturalism
A 5-study investigation of reactions of dominant group members (i.e., White Americans) to diversity (relative to racial minority reactions) provides evidence of implicit and explicit associations between multiculturalism and exclusion and of a relationship between perceived exclusion and reactions to diversity. In Study 1, Whites but not racial minorities were faster in an implicit association task at pairing multiculturalism with exclusion than …
The Stereotypical Computer Scientist: Gendered Media Representations as a Barrier to Inclusion for Women
Race and ethnicity in the workplace: Spotlighting the perspectives of historically stigmatized groups
Racial and ethnic identity matter and are salient for people in the workplace--a place where people spend a substantial amount of their time. This special issue brings the workplace into the domain of racial and ethnic minority psychology. It also brings to the study of the workplace a relatively neglected perspective: that of people from historically stigmatized racial and ethnic groups. Though there is, of course, need for more work with differ…
Do Color Blindness and Multiculturalism Remedy or Foster Discrimination and Racism?
This article offers insight from psychological science into whether models of diversity (e.g., color blindness and multiculturalism) remedy or foster discrimination and racism. First, we focus on implications of a color-blind model. Here, the literature suggests that while color blindness appeals to some individuals, it can decrease individuals’ sensitivity to racism and discrimination. Furthermore, the literature suggests that, with some excepti…
Double isolation: Identity expression threat predicts greater gender disparities in computer science
Three studies examine the relationship between women’s expression of interest in computer science and identity expression threat, the concern about conveying an identity inconsistent with one's gender role. Undergraduates perceive academic majors to signal who they are to peers (Study 1). Women imagining majoring in computer science report greater identity expression threat from their peers outside computer science than from those inside the fiel…
A raceless legal psychology in a system marked by race
Despite the fact that evidence of racial inequality in the U.S. criminal legal system has become overwhelming, the field of legal psychology has largely ignored issues of race and systemic racism. Although legal psychology focuses on a system that has disproportionately affected certain racial groups, and much of the field questions the fairness of the system, its research seems to rarely take a critical approach to account for racial and systemi…
Psychology (19 works) · Social Psychology (19 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (9 works) · Political science (8 works) · Cultural Differences and Values (6 works) · Gender Diversity and Inequality (6 works) · Multiculturalism (6 works) · Cultural diversity (5 works)