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Allison L. Skinner

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Associate Professor
Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program
Social Psychology

Dr. Skinner is an associate professor in the psychology department at the University of Georgia. Her research examines how biases are established, maintained, and facilitated through subtle messages present in everyday life. She is particularly interested in how situational cues in our social environments shape our perceptions, attitudes, and biases against other individuals and groups. These cues range from nonverbal signals demonstrated in interpersonal interactions (e.g., warmth and friendliness) to explicit messages that may appear to be positive but are actually ironically negative (heightening intergroup bias). She utilizes correlational and experimental approaches and employs multiple methods (including physiological, behavioral, and self-report measures) to identify the basic cognitive, affective, and perceptual processes that lead to the establishment, maintenance, and activation of attitudes and biases. 

Dr. Skinner will be considering applications for PhD students in the current application cycle (to begin PhD studies in Fall 2026).   

Dr. Skinner is the director of the study abroad in Togo (West Africa) program, where the Psychology of Attitudes, Biases, and Culture is periodically taught during Maymester.

Maymester in Togo Ad

  

The University of Georgia is located on the ancestral lands of the ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East), S’atsoyaha (Yuchi), and Mvskoke (Muscogee / Creek) people. Click here to learn more.

Education:

2015 Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Experimental Psychology (emphasis Social Cognitive Neuroscience), Minor: Quantitative Psychology    

2009 M.A., California State University, Chico, Psychological Science    

2005 B.A., California State University, Chico, Psychology

Research Interests:

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.

Selected Publications:

Skinner-Dorkenoo, A. L., ^Rogbeer, K. G., ^Sarmal, A., *Ware, C., & *Zhu, J. (2023). Challenging race-based medicine through historical education about the social construction of race. Health Equity, 7(1), 767-772. http://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2023.0036

 Skinner-Dorkenoo, A. L., George, M., Wages, J. E., ^Sánchez, S., & Perry, S. P. (2023). A systemic approach to the psychology of racial bias within individuals and society. Nature Reviews Psychology, 2, 392-406. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-023-00190-z

Skinner-Dorkenoo, A. L.^Sarmal, A., *Rogbeer, K., ^André, C. J., ^Patel, B., & *Cha, L. (2022). Highlighting COVID-19 racial disparities can reduce support for safety precautions among White U.S. residents. Social Science & Medicine, 301, 114951. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114951

Skinner-Dorkenoo, A. L., ˆ^Sarmal, A., ˆ^André, C. J., & *Rogbeer, K. (2021). How microaggressions reinforce and perpetuate systemic racism in the U.S. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(5), 903-925https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211002543

 

Of note:

Postdoctoral Scholar, Northwestern University (emphasis Social Psychology and Psychophysiology), June 2017 – July 2019    

Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Washington Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences (emphasis Social and Developmental Psychology), May 2015 – May 2017     

Articles Featuring Allison L. Skinner

We are proud to announce that Dr. Allison L. Skinner, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Georgia, has been awarded the Innovative Teaching…

Dr Skinner

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