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Sylvia Perry

Associate Professor

Research Interests:

My research is situated at the intersection of social, developmental, and health psychology. I investigate how racial bias awareness develops and the implications of bias awareness for prejudice reduction, intergroup contact, and health disparities. Specifically, with my work, I seek to answer questions such as (1) To what extent do norms around admitting and discussing racism contribute to anti-racism? (2) How does White parental racial socialization shape the development of their children’s attitudes and behaviors toward Black individuals? and (3) How do educational environments shape medical trainees’ perceptions of stigmatized individuals? I am the principal investigator of the Social Cognition and Intergroup Processes (SCIP) Lab.

Selected Publications:

Perry, S. P., **Wu, D. J., Abaied, J., **Skinner-Dorkenoo, A. L., *Sanchez, S., Waters, S. F., & +Osnaya, A. (in press) White parents’ racial socialization during a guided discussion predicts declines in White children’s pro-White biases. Developmental Psychology.

Wilton, L., Sullivan, J., Albuja, A.F., & Perry, S. P. (in press). Understanding the challenges and opportunities of talking to children about race and racism. Social Issues and Policy Review.

**Skinner-Dorkenoo, A. L., **George, M. G., *Wages, J. E., *Sánchez, S. & Perry, S.P. (2023). A systemic approach to the psychology of racial bias within individuals and society. Nature Reviews Psychology, 2, 392-406.

Tiako, M. J. N., *Wages, J. E., & Perry, S. P. (2023). Black medical students’ sense of belonging, residency self-efficacy, and residency goal stability at historically Black vs predominantly White medical schools: A prospective study. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 38, 122-124.

Wu, D. J., *Sánchez, S., & Perry, S. P. (2022). “Will talking about race make my child racist?” Dispelling myths to encourage honest White U.S. parent-child conversations about race and racism. Current Opinion in Psychology, 47: 101420.

Abaied, J. L., Perry, S. P., Cheaito, A., & Ramirez, V. (2022). Racial socialization messages in White parents’ discussions of current events involving racism. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 32, 863-882.

Perry, S. P., **Skinner-Dorkenoo, A. L., Abaied, J. L., & Waters, S. F. (2022). Applying the evidence we have: Support for having race conversations in White U.S. Families. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17, 895-900.

Perry, S. P., *Wages, J. E., **Skinner-Dorkenoo, A. L., Burke, S. E., Hardeman, R. R., Phelan, S. M. (2021). Testing a self-affirmation intervention for improving the psychosocial health of Black and White medical students in the U.S. Journal of Social Issues, Special Issue on Self-Affirmation in Educational Contexts, 77, 769-800.

Abaied, J. L., Perry, S. P. (2021). Socialization of racial ideology by White parents. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000454

Perry, S. P., *Skinner, A. L., & Abaied, J. L. (2019). Bias awareness predicts color conscious racial socialization methods among White parents. Journal of Social Issues: Special Issue on Research on Race and Racism, 75, 1035-1056. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12348

Perry, S. P., Murphy, M. C., & Dovidio, J. F. (2015). Modern Prejudice: Subtle, but unconscious? The role of bias awareness in Whites’ perceptions of personal and others’ biases. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 61, 64-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2015.06.007