Dr. Elizabeth Paluck

Biography

Basic ideas motivate Elizabeth Levy Paluck's research. The idea that social psychological theory offers potentially useful tools for changing society in constructive ways is central to her work. She studies attempts to change society in fruitful ways, developing and assessing social psychological theory through her research. Paluck's work has focused on prejudice and intergroup conflict reduction, using large-scale field experiments to test theoretically driven interventions. Her field experiments in Central Horn Africa and the United States have examined the impact of mass media and interpersonal communication on tolerant and cooperative behaviors. She finds support for a behavioral change model based on social norms and group influence, suggesting that it is more fruitful to target citizens’ perceptions of typical desirable behaviors (i.e., social norms) than their knowledge and beliefs. Questions her research explores include how social norms and behaviors can shift in real-world settings, with suggestions encompassing peer role model endorsement, narrative communication, and group discussion. Her work in post-conflict countries has led to related research in political and cultural change, as well as civic education. Additionally, she is interested in social scientific methodology—particularly causal inference and behavioral measurement.

Research Interests