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Research

Our group’s research interests are broad. We often study events and behaviours in the world that intrigue or puzzle us. For example, one current line of research focuses on apologies. Apologies of all sorts are in the news these days. We wondered when, why and how apologies are effective and discovered little social psychological research on these questions. We became particularly intrigued by the recent flurry of political apologies for prejudicial treatment of minorities that occurred decades or even centuries earlier. Why should politicians apologize for government actions in the distant past that they did not commit (e.g., slavery)?

Advocates of political apologies emphasize their moral and practical benefits. They argue, for example, that apologies for historical injustices help right ancient wrongs, as well as promote intergroup reconciliation and understanding. Opponents maintain that that we can’t and shouldn’t try to fix the past. They argue that history is replete with episodes that now seem unjust, that earlier politicians were influenced by the values and beliefs of their day, and that we have enough challenges trying to maintain justice in our own time.

It is natural to ask “Who is right?”, but that is not how most social psychologists would frame the question. Our research group doesn’t debate whether redress for historical wrongs generally “works.” We assume that redress is sometimes beneficial and sometimes not. A psychologically more important set of questions focuses on memory and reactions to injustice. Why are some people or groups motivated to commemorate past injustices, while others prefer to “forget” such episodes? How should past injustices be remembered so as to benefit people today? Who supports or opposes redress for past victimization and why? When and how do governments apologize for historical injustices? What determines the impact of such apologies on the targeted minority and the non victimized majority? Members of our group are conducting research designed to answer these questions. We are also conducting parallel research on more everyday apologies to understand their antecedents, forms, and consequences.

Our research is not restricted to the study of apologies. Members of our group are currently conducting research on culture, revenge, and cognitive aging. The research on culture focuses on self and social understanding. In the research on revenge, we study cultural, religious, and other influences on people’s responses to an aggressor. The research on cognitive aging focuses on how older people offset memory deficits in their everyday lives. Although the topics are diverse, there is a common thread. Our group conducts theoretically driven research on socially significant issues.