In an ongoing program of research, I examine how interpersonal interactions and broader organizational norms can make people feel devalued in a situation because of a given social identity (e.g., age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, mental health status, etc). My research is currently guided by two overarching questions: 1) What are the interpersonal experiences that signal that a given social identity is devalued? 2) What are the organizational norms and practices that create ‘identity safe’ settings for marginalized individuals? I primarily address these questions by looking at the devaluation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.

What are the interpersonal experiences that signal that a given social identity is devalued?

My work examines how stigmatized groups’ (e.g., women in STEM) ability to excel in domains where they are devalued is contingent upon their interpersonal interactions (Hall, Schmader, & Croft, 2015; Hall, Schmader, Aday, Inness, & Croft, 2018). Our interpersonal interactions are crucial in establishing a number of important psychological needs. It is in conversations with others that we garner feelings of acceptance, establish competence, generate a sense of well-being, feel understood, and form social support networks (Cohen, Sherrod, & Clark, 1986). Yet, very little research has examined how the nature of the interpersonal environment itself might trigger social identity threat (i.e. the fear of being devalued in a particular context because of a given social identity), and few studies have sought to examine these effects naturalistically. My program of research fills an important gap in the literature by exploring the subtle ways interpersonal interactions can elicit social identity threat for individuals who belong to devalued groups.

What are the organizational norms and practices that create identity safe settings for marginalized groups?

While some cues to devaluation reside in interpersonal interactions, others may be communicated by the broader organizational context and the interaction between these two forces. Organizational policies and practices that limit discriminatory behaviors and decision making can help increase employment opportunities for women and minorities (Kalev, Dobbin, & Kelly, 2006). However, there has been little work examining how these types of initiatives impact employee relationships and interactions (Green & Kalev, 2009). More importantly, whereas a large body of research has shown that contextual factors in academic settings can reduce social identity threat (Murphy & Taylor, 2012), no empirical work has looked at what organizational factors in STEM workplaces signal to stigmatized individuals that the situation is identity safe. My program of work suggests that gender-inclusive policies and practices may not only provide a broad system of norms but also impact people’s daily experiences and sense of identity within that setting (Hall, Schmader, Aday, Inness, and Croft, 2018). This work provides a contemporary social psychological frame on social identity threat and the way an organizational culture can inform interpersonal experiences and a person’s sense of self.

Hall, W. M., Schmader, T., Aday, A., Inness, M., & Croft, E. (in press). Climate control: cultural predictors of social identity threat for women in engineering. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. (PDF)

Hall, W. M., Schmader, T., Aday, A., & Croft, E. (in press). Decoding the dynamics of social identity threat in the workplace: A within-person analysis of women’s and men’s interactions in STEM. Social Psychological and Personality Science. (PDF)

Block, K., Hall, W. M., Schmader, T., Inness, M., & Croft, E. (in press). Should I stay or should I go: Women’s implicit associations predict their commitment and fit in STEM. Social Psychology. (PDF)

Logel, C., Hall, W. M., Page‐Gould, E., & Cohen, G. L. (in press). Why is it so hard to change? The role of self‐integrity threat and affirmation in weight loss. European Journal of Social Psychology.

Hall, W. M., Schmader, T., & Croft, E. (2015). Engineering exchanges: Daily social identity threat predicts burnout among female engineers. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6, 528–534. (PDF)

Schmader, T. & Hall, W. M. (2015). Stereotype threat. Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: An Interdisciplinary, Searchable, and Linkable Resource. 1–14.

Hall, W. M., & Croft, A. (2015). Stereotype threat in intergroup relations. In M. Mikulincer, P. R. Shaver, J. F. Dovidio & J. A. Simpson (Eds.), APA handbook of personality and social psychology, volume 2: Group processes (pp. 447-471). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (PDF)

Schmader, T., & Hall, W. M. (2014). Stereotype threat in school and at work putting science into practice. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1, 30–37. (PDF)

Zhang, S., Schmader, T., & Hall, W. M. (2013). L’eggo My Ego: Reducing the gender gap in math by unlinking the self from performance. Self and Identity, 12, 400-412. (PDF)