UROP Project

Examining the Avoidance of Political Outgroup Members: The Fear of Stigma by Association

Intergroup Relations, Social Psychology, Stigma, Politics, Polarization

Research Mentor: Dr. Ashby Plant, she/her
Department, College, Affiliation: Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: plant@psy.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Lucas Guberman he/him
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: guberman@psy.fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Psychology, Sociology, Political Science
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable

Project Description

People in the United States tend to avoid people who do not share their political beliefs. They prefer instead to socialize with those who do share their beliefs, even though it is well known that interacting with people who have opposing political views (i.e., political outgroup members) can reduce political polarization. We argue that this avoidance of political outgroup members has only contributed to the political division in the United States. One reason why people might be unwilling to interact with political outgroup members is the fear of stigma by association. Stigma by association is the process by which an individual becomes stigmatized for associating with someone from a stigmatized group. Accordingly, someone may become concerned that they will experience stigma by association and wonder “If my friends see me associating with someone who doesn’t share our political views, will they think less of me?”. The purpose of this project is to examine whether and why people experience fear of stigma by association in the political arena. Specifically, we conduct a psychological study to examine whether and how the fear of stigma by association contributes to the avoidance of political outgroup members. If you are interested in learning more about how social concerns may impact political polarization, this project is for you!

Research Tasks: in-person data collection, assisting with survey design, attending in-person lab meetings

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Research assistants must be willing to collaborate with a research team and learn about designing and conducting a psychological research study. Other skills include the ability to pay attention to small details, organization, and time management.