Notes from the Field: SPARQ Updates

The SPARQ team has been working hard in the field and in the lab to combat bias, increase inclusion, and inspire change. From classrooms to police departments, from social networking apps to popular films, our research and partnerships work to harness insights from behavioral science for a more just, equitable, and effective society. Read on for more updates about the SPARQ team and our partners. 

Highlights

• SPARQ Co-Director Hazel Rose Markus, Graduate Affiliate Camilla Griffiths, and collaborators’ research featured in Education Week: In their op-ed, they discuss how educators can develop students’ sense of belonging by holding culture-conscious conversations about racial inequality. They also explore how cultural understanding between families and schools can help teachers cultivate parental engagement.

• Hazel Rose Markus and SPARQ Faculty Affiliate Geoff Cohen’s new study findings encourage hiring and admissions processes to place less emphasis on “passion” to be more culturally inclusive: Data from 59 countries revealed that passion predicts achievement in individualistic societies whereas other factors like parental support matter just as much in collectivistic societies.

• Stanford News features SPARQ Research Scientist Rebecca Hetey and Co-Director Jennifer Eberhardt’s research on racial inequality: Facts about racial disparities should be paired with context that challenges stereotypes and acknowledges the role of institutional policy in shaping inequality. Hetey says, “One of the barriers of reducing inequality is how some people justify and rationalize it.”

• Oprah Daily features Jennifer Eberhardt’s reflection on her first encounter with racism: Eberhardt discusses the striking impact that racial discrimination can have on an individual’s sense of self-worth in their childhood years and beyond.

• Forbes features Jennifer Eberhardt’s work with Nextdoor: Forbes discusses how technology can be designed to tackle bias, highlighting how asking Nextdoor users to be specific when reporting suspicious activity reduced racial profiling on the online platform by over 75%.

• Stanford eCorner spoke with Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar about building respectful online communities: Friar discusses how the platform applied Jennifer Eberhardt’s psychological insights on reducing bias, employing tools like “kindness reminders” that encourage users to interact with respect.

• Oakland mayor announces new police chief: Born and raised in Oakland, CA LeRonne Armstrong has been selected as the city’s new police chief. Armstrong has collaborated with Jennifer Eberhardt and SPARQ on research and data-driven strategies to improve police-community relations.

• Futurity features study led by Hazel Rose Markus, SPARQ Health Director Alia Crum, and Graduate Affiliate Brad Turnwald exploring the media's influence on health behaviors: Their recent findings demonstrate that most foods depicted in popular movies fail U.S. government nutrition recommendations.

• SPARQ Research Scientist Xuan Zhao’s research on compliment giving in Harvard Business Review: Don’t underestimate the power of a compliment urge Xuan Zhao and coauthors; expressing praise and appreciation to others can often go a longer way than we think.

• Law360 explores how implicit bias poses a barrier to the fair administration of justice: U.S. Circuit Judge Bernice Donald addresses systemic racism and disparities in the courtroom, citing Jennifer Eberhardt’s Biased.

Recognitions

• Psychology Today Canada honors Jennifer Eberhardt’s contributions to the field: The publication recognizes Jennifer Eberhardt as a renowned expert on the repercussions of the psychological relationship between race and crime.

• Jennifer Eberhardt’s book, Biased, is the Nonfiction Runner-up for the 2020 Dayton Literary Peace Prize: This award recognizes the power of the written word to promote peace and a better understanding of other peoples, cultures, and perspectives.