Prejudice Reduction - What Works?

If the social science community had to pick one person best suited to answer this question, it would probably be Betsy Levy Paluck.

Professor of Psychology at Princeton University, MacArthur Award Winner, and Deputy Directory of the Center for Behavioral Science & Policy, Betsy has spent decades investigating the efficacy of prejudice reduction strategies.

Her work breaks through the mold of traditional social science in an effort to figure out "what works" not just in the laboratory but in the real world. 

From ground-breaking field research in Rwanda to a comprehensive review published in 2009 with Donald Green, she and her collaborators seek answers to the most difficult applied questions on prejudice reduction.

The talk below, based in part on her recent publication in the Annual Review of Psychology, skillfully outlines the research landscape on the subject.
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This includes prejudices entangled in race relations here in the US, longstanding conflicts between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East, and other deep-seated divides that to some  seem insurmountable. It's a surprisingly concise 45 minutes. 
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​Key Questions

• What research has been done on this topic over the past decade?​

 

• What are the average effects of prejudice-reduction interventions?​

 

• As a researcher, what are the most promising strategies to pursue?

UPenn in Philadelphia with Huntsman Hall in the foreground (2009). Wikimedia Commons.

Can social science help answer the public's call for reducing prejudice in society?
- Betsy Levy Paluck, February 2021

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Betsy addresses these questions and more in her talk hosted by the Behavior Change For Good Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania.

For more videos in their excellent Virtual Seminar Series, please visit their YouTube Channel. ​

Betsy's work is also referenced in an Episode of our Podcast: "Walking the Walk with Gordon Kraft-Todd."