CAREER: The role of the resting brain in stereotyping & stereotype change

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This research examines if brain processes during rest (i.e., when people are not paying attention to anything in particular) predict attributes associated with groups, including real (e.g., housed or unhoused people) or imagined groups (entities that like fruits versus vegetables). It is commonly thought that the brain needs to rest by taking a mental break to help learning new information, and this project would test whether and how rest encourages processing of information about groups. Understanding the mechanisms underlying group attributes and how to change them is a central goal of psychology and neuroscience. Because attributes and cognitions often come to mind effortlessly, they are hard to change because people often cannot stop them. In the first aim, the research will test whether neural activity while participants briefly rest by taking a short mental break before observing a group member predicts the effortless thoughts that come to mind about the group member. The second aim of this research is to determine if attribute processing changes during rest. To address these aims, the research uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain responses during rest and how they relate to attribution processing and cognition changes. This project also has educational aims to disseminate neuroscience education and resources broadly to improve the public’s understanding of science and the scientific method. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.