Group interaction: crucible of social identity

Group interaction as the crucible of social identity formation : a glimpse at the foundations of social identities for collective action The collaboration with Emma Thomas and Craig McGarty has led to another exploration of models of social identity and collective action, accepted for publication in Group Processes and Intergoup Relations. Abstract Many of the … Read more

A complex systems view in medical student wellbeing research

“…some stress is identity-potent: it has a special meaning in the context of a professional identity.” Ken and Kathy had the opportunity to write a commentary piece for Medical Education entitled “Moving toward a complex systems view in medical student wellbeing research”. We took the opportunity to further advance the view that we need to … Read more

“Prevalence to Process” paper in Medical Education

There is a well-established literature showing the higher prevalence of stress and threats to wellbeing in medical students. There is a well-established literature showing the higher prevalence of stress and threats to wellbeing in medical students.  In this paper we argue for the importance of researching specific psychological processes that might exacerbate or moderate these … Read more

Identity and norms: The role of group membership in medical student wellbeing

McNeill, K. G., Kerr, A, and Mavor, K. I. (2014) Perspectives on Medical Education Kathy McNeill has had her first, first-author paper published from her PhD work on identity and medical student wellbeing. Congratulations Kathy! We also continue to work with Annelise Kerr, who is a medical student at the ANU, and did her Medical … Read more

Social Justice and Psychology

Social Justice and Psychology: What Is, and What Should Be Winnifred Louis, Ken Mavor and colleagues will have a paper published in the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology on how social psychology struggles with issues of social justice.  The paper is part of a special issue to come out in late 2013. Louis, W. … Read more

Discipline social identification, study norms and learning approach

This paper in Educational Psychology builds on the work of Platow, Mavor and Grace (2013) and examines the impact of students’ normative expectations about learning approaches in their discipline. The paper is in press, published online. Abstract: Adopting a deep approach to learning is associated with positive academic outcomes. In the current paper, we extend this … Read more

Discipline social identity and learning approach

On the role of discipline-related self-concept in deep and surface approaches to learning among university students This was the first paper in what has become the LACES project.  We explore the self and identity implications of deep and surface learning and suggest some reciprocal relationships between learning style, grades, and discipline identity. Platow, M. J., Mavor, K. … Read more

Person and group impressions and cognitive load

Cognitive load privileges memory-based over data-driven processing, not group-level over person-level processing The first paper from Daniel Skorich’s PhD has been published online at BJSP. This establishes the empirical support for our view that group information is not used in preference to person information due to resource limitations.  This paper overturns a classic assumption of the cognitive … Read more

Social identity encapsulation & collective action

Social identities facilitate and encapsulate action-relevant constructs: A test of the social identity model of collective action Thomas, E. F., Mavor, K. I.  & McGarty, C. (2012). Social identities facilitate and encapsulate action-relevant constructs: A test of the social identity model of collective action. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 15(1) 75-88. Abstract Three studies explore the recently elaborated … Read more