Research Symposium

BIO

I have always had a passion for music, writing, and theatre. I am interested in exploring the field of neuroscience as I continue my undergraduate career, particularly in the portions where it intersects with our everyday lives. Issues such as social justice, mental illness, and other prolific aspects of everyday life are things that are important not only to the field of neuroscience but to the world, and I hope that in contributing to this body of knowledge I can better both the field and the world.

Examining how Pain Perception is Impacted by Race of the Aggressor

Abstract

White individuals tend to perceive Black individuals as more threatening and more capable of harm compared to other White individuals. Possibly due to this Black-threat association, people also tend to perceive an aggressive act as more violent when committed by a Black compared to a White individual. However, it is unclear whether pain perception changes based on the race of the person causing the pain. The present work intends to explore whether race of the aggressor has an impact on an individual’s perception of pain. Participants will engage in a task with a gender-matched Black or White confederate. Throughout the task, participants receive a shock from the confederate and will be asked to rate the perceived pain for each shock. Based on previous work, it is hypothesized that participants will perceive the shocks received by a Black confederate as more painful compared to shocks received by a White confederate. The current work will provide insight into how racial biases directly impact perceptions of one’s behaviors.

Keywords: Race, Pain, Perception