Attributed Possibilities

This research program focuses on the social perception and attribution of possibilities in the context of groups and inter-group relations. In particular, it examines what kinds of possibilities are being associated with members of different groups in society by virtue of their group membership. Methodologically, it uses experimental designs to understand a) how people assess their own possibilities and b) how they assess the possibilities of others, as well as, importantly, c) how they think others assess their possibilities and d) how they think others assess their own possibilities. It employs a novel methodological paradigm – attributed psychometrics – through which participants are asked to approximate the average psychometric scores of different groups for measures of abilities (e.g., intelligence), attitudes (e.g., personality), and potential (e.g., creativity).