CWU SOCIAL COGNITION LAB
Department of Psychology | Central Washington University
Director: Tonya Buchanan, Ph.D
Ongoing Research
We are currently pursuing research projects such as:
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How racial resentment & acknowledgement of structural bias impact support for diversifying political representation
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The role of class-based dehumanization & zero-sum mindsets in social policy support
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The impact of colorism & ethnocentrism on voting behavior
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The utility & challenges of requiring pronoun disclosure in introductions
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How the discourse of racial inequities in educational outcomes (e.g., "achievement gap" vs. "racial inequality" vs education debt) shape levels of support and strategies for increased equity
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The influence of advising micro-messages on increasing support, persistence, & disclosure of learning challenges for 1st generation & students of color
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Reducing interaction anxiety toward those who identify as nonbinary through activation of diverse identities/activities
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And more...
Recent Publications
*Chirco, P. & Buchanan, T.M. (2023). We the People. Who? The face of future American politics is shaped by perceived foreignness of candidates of color. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/asap.12341
*Chirco P. & Buchanan , T. M. (2023). Politicians of Color on the Ballot. The Society for Personality and Social Psychology. https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/chirco-buchanan-politicians-of-color
Buchanan, T. M., Buchanan, J. P.; **Diedericks, D., **Davis, L. (2023). I’ll have what she’s having: (Social) Perceptions of default options and implications for decision-making. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(2), 509-522. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12847
Buchanan T.M., Brown, A., *Chirco, P., Klein, D., & Purgason, A. M. (2022). Messaging matters: The impact of advising micromessages on student affect and behavior across diverse university campuses. NACADA Journal, 42(2), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.12930/NACADA-22-04
Conference Presentations
McKinney, L., Buchanan, T. M., Chirco, P., & Buchanan, J. P. (2024, February 8-10). Unpacking the link between class-based (de)humanization and zero-sum mindsets, and their implications for policy support. Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention. San Diego, CA.
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Sheibani, H., Buchanan, T. M., Chirco, P., & Buchanan, J. P. (2024, February 8–10). Building a more perfect Union: Implications for promoting representation of underrepresented groups by examining the intersection of racial resentment and beliefs about inequality. Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention. San Diego, CA
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*Chirco P., Buchanan, T.M., & **Sheibani Asl, H. (2023, Spring). Who gets to be “American” and its consequences for political representation: The role of perceptions of Americanness in judgments of candidates of color. Presented at the 2023 Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
**Sheibani Asl, H., Buchanan, T.M., & Chirco, P. (2023, Spring). Racial resentment predicts support for descriptive representation of women/LGBTQ+ members. Presented at 2023 the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
*Chirco, P. & Buchanan, T. M. (2023, Winter). The complexion of future American politics is in the eye of the voter: White constituents are influenced by race/ethnicity and perceived skin tone of candidates of color. Presented at 2023 Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia.