In the Georgia Attitude, Bias, and Behavior Acquisition Lab (GABBA Lab) we examine how systemic forms of oppression are maintained and reinforced through subtle patterns of thought and behavior, and how those systems can be challenged. More specifically, we study how situational cues in our social environments shape our attitudes and behavior toward other individuals and groups. The situational cues that we investigate are subtle but powerful features of social contexts and interactions (e.g., nonverbal cues, microaggressions) that influence observers’ affective associations with others.
To do this work we utilize correlational and experimental approaches—and employ multiple methods. We are strong supporters of open science principles as we feel that they result in more replicable and reproducible science, but also directly improve our research by promoting more thoughtful consideration at each step of the research process.
We want to acknowledge that our laboratory at the University of Georgia is located on the stolen ancestral lands of the ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East), S’atsoyaha (Yuchi), and Mvskoke (Muscogee / Creek) people. Native American people inhabited this land for over a thousand years before the arrival of European colonizers. Through a series of violent attacks and unjust federal legislation, Native Americans were ultimately forced off of this land in the 1830s, and reparations for this injustice have never been paid to them or their descendants. Click here to learn more.
