INTERVIEW: Laura Richman

Question 1

What study did she do?

Answer 1

How perceived discrimination can cause health outcomes

Question 2

What is Experience Sampling Procedure?

Answer 2

Using a text-messaging service to sample participants repeatedly throughout days, weeks, etc. Allows for participants to respond ”in the moment”.

Question 3

What is the ’Daily Diary’ Method?

Answer 3

Having participants write down aspects of their day at the end of each day. Allows for more longitudinal data collection but is prone to biases in participants’ own memories`

Question 4

What research questions guide her research?

Answer 4

Health disparities, what cause them, and what interventions could be used

Question 5

What are the two pathways that connect mental health and health outcomes:

Answer 5

1. Stress induced by discrimination
2. Discrimination might lead to more risky behaviours (ex. drinking/smoking)

Question 6

What is the relationship between the two pathways?

Answer 6

There are links between our stress responses and our behaviour

Ex. highly stressed ppl tend to eat more junk food (stress and risky behaviour)

Question 7

How can we look at these two pathways in studies?

Answer 7

Diary or experience sampling (texting how ur day is)

Ppl have done stuides on this (only for 7 days), would have to do that for longer to see real results

Question 8

Are people more stressed in clearly discriminatory situations, or ambiguous situations?

Answer 8

ambiguous situations

With clearly discriminatory situations, you can attribute it to that (“that person is biased”)

BUT with ambiguous situations need to really think it through, (“Am I being targeted?”)

Question 9

Why are objective measures of discrimination not a priority?

Answer 9

A lot of value in understanding ppls subjective experiences

Question 10

She receives the criticism:
“Well what if some ppl just perceive more discrimination based on their personality?”

How does she account for that?

Answer 10

She has participants do a personality test before

Question 11

What about the study of discrimination and health excites her? (future directions)

Answer 11

(She mostly did interpersonal)

Understanding larger structural / institutional discrimination and how they intersect

Thinks social psychologists should lend expertise to work on these with other professionals