Join us for our Social Behavioral Interest Group (SBIG) Colloquium on February 12, 2026!
Speaker: Kate Ratliff (University of Waterloo)
Title: Institutional Change Affects Intergroup Attitudes
Abstract: Individual opinions about controversial topics vary widely and do not always match the policies and laws that govern the issue in a particular location. How do critical moments that define policies and laws affect people’s attitudes? The current research tested whether institutional change impacts policy support and attitudes toward the social groups that are impacted by policy change. The first set of highly controlled, experimental studies demonstrated across a variety of topics that, when a decision-making body banned (vs. affirmed) a practice (e.g., allowing companies to implement mandatory anti-racism training), participants perceived less normative support for the policy and assumed more negative attitudes toward the group impacted by the policy change (e.g., Black Americans). A longitudinal field study investigated the short- and long-term impact of real-world policy change—the United States Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that gave U.S. states the right to restrict access to abortion. Although the ruling did not produce lasting change in personal support for abortion restriction, it did lead participants to perceive more support for traditional gender roles and to personally endorse traditional gender attitudes more strongly. Together, these results demonstrate the power of geographically specific institutional policies to influence intergroup attitudes.
The Social Behavior Interest Group consists of members of the university community who are interested in social psychological research. The SBIG supports an active program of visiting speakers. The group meets weekly to hear speakers describe their recent research. Since 1990, SBIG has brought in numerous distinguished visiting speakers. Presentations have included contemporary issues in the study of attitudes, social cognition, prejudice & stereotyping, and also applied research questions in the domains of health and consumer behavior.