Social Psychology Network

Maintained by Scott Plous, Wesleyan University

Samuel Sommers

Samuel Sommers

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  • SPN Mentor

Dr. Sommers is a social psychologist interested in issues related to stereotyping, prejudice, and group diversity. His research focuses on two broad, often overlapping topic areas: (1) the influence of race-related norms and motivations on social cognition, judgment and decision-making, group dynamics, and interpersonal interaction; (2) the intersection of psychology and law. In 2008 he received the Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Excellence from the American Psychology-Law Society. In 2009 he was named Tufts University Professor of the Year by the Tufts Student Senate.

In addition to authoring over two dozen publications on issues related to race and diversity, he has served as an expert witness in multiple criminal cases, including capital trials in California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas. He has presented his research to a wide range of academic audiences at universities including Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, M.I.T., Claremont McKenna, Emory, Rutgers, UConn, UMass, and UTEP. He is the author of a general audience book on social psychology entitled *Situations Matter*; for more details, see www.samsommers.com.

Primary Interests:

  • Applied Social Psychology
  • Group Processes
  • Intergroup Relations
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Law and Public Policy
  • Person Perception
  • Prejudice and Stereotyping
  • Social Cognition

Research Group or Laboratory:

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Video Gallery

18:07 Featured SVG

The Hidden Power of Context

Select video to watch

  • 18:07

    The Hidden Power of Context

    Length: 18:07


  • 1:09

    Why Do We Stereotype?

    Length: 1:09


  • 39:27

    Situations Matter: Social Psychology and Everyday Life

    Length: 39:27


  • 2:07:44

    The Science of Unconscious Bias

    Length: 2:07:44


  • 42:26

    The Science of Stereotyping and Implicit Bias

    Length: 42:26


  • 2:09:10

    "The Context of White Supremacy" Interview

    Length: 2:09:10


  • 34:47

    This Is Your Brain on Sports (The Stream)

    Length: 34:47

    A discussion about psychology, neuroscience, and human behavior through the lens of sports



Books:

Journal Articles:

Other Publications:

  • Sommers. S. R. (2008). Beyond information exchange: New perspectives on the benefits of racial diversity for group performance. In E. A. Mannix, M. A. Neale, & K. W. Phillips (Eds.), Research on Managing Groups and Teams (Volume 11; pp. 195-220). Oxford: Elsevier Science Press.

Courses Taught:

  • Experimental Psychology
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Psychology and Law
  • Research Methods in Social Psychology
  • Seminar in Advanced Social Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Samuel Sommers
Department of Psychology
Tufts University
490 Boston Avenue
Medford, Massachusetts 02155
United States of America

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