Generally, I research topics related to social norms, institutional signaling, and prejudice reduction. I use rigorous experimental methodologies to understand how to enact enduring positive change in peoples’ attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors.

My approach prioritizes the advancement of basic social psychological science while generating policy-relevant insights.

Institutional signaling, normative influence, and behavior change

Our institutions say a lot about us. Specifically, they tell us (the individual) a lot about the people around us, which can have profound effects on what we think and how we act. My work investigates how our institutions influence us, and how we as researchers and practitioners can use institutions to enact widespread social change.

Much of my work on institutional signaling explores the effects of US Supreme Court rulings on the public’s attitudes and norm perceptions (e.g. Clark et al., 2024). Through this work, I develop and test theories of Court signaling and measure the impact of some of the most consequential rulings of recent years (e.g. abortion rights (2022), affirmative action (2023), and access to gender-affirming care (2024)).

Select Publications:

Clark, C.S., Paluck, E.L., Westwood, S.J. et al. Effects of a US Supreme Court ruling to restrict abortion rights. Nat Hum Behav (2023).

In other work, I investigate the signaling of corporate institutions, specifically around corporate identity and values, and how those signals affect consumer attitudes and behavior. For example, in a randomized field experiment, I tested the effects of a restaurant presenting as a Black-owned business on customer spending and other behaviors (in prep).