My main areas of research focus on prejudice and discrimination. The research that my students, collaborators, and I have recently been conducting examines (a) factors relating to attitudes toward immigrants and immigration, (b) ethnic relations, and (c) relations among men and women. In the area of immigration, we have recently been focusing on models of attitudes and behaviour toward immigrants and refugees, including the dehumanization of immigrants and refugees, perceptions of the procedural justice of immigration and refugee policies, and the psychological and organizational factors that lead to the discounting of immigrants’ qualifications and credentials in the labour market. In the areas of ethnic relations and relations among men and women, we have been examining the role of group power in promoting group identification and identification with the larger society, and reactions to ethnic and sexist humour.

Primary Interests:

Attitudes and Beliefs
Culture and Ethnicity
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Intergroup Relations
Persuasion, Social Influence
Prejudice and Stereotyping

Attitudes and Beliefs
Culture and Ethnicity
Emotion, Mood, Affect

Intergroup Relations
Persuasion, Social Influence
Prejudice and Stereotyping

Research Group or Laboratory:

Laboratory for the Study of Intergroup Relations [Map]

Books:

Journal Articles:

Danso, H. A., & Esses, V. M. (2001). Black experimenters and the intellectual test performance of White participants: The tables are turned. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 37, 158-165.
Dovidio, J. F., & Esses, V. M. (2007). Psychological research and public policy: Bridging the gap. Social Issues and Policy Review, 1, 5-14.
Esses, V. M., & Dovidio, J. F. (2002). The role of emotions in determining willingness to engage in intergroup contact. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1202-1214.
Esses, V. M., Dovidio, J. F., Jackson, L. M., & Armstrong, T. L. (2001). The immigration dilemma: The role of perceived group competition, ethnic prejudice, and national identity. Journal of Social Issues, 57, 389-412.
Esses, V. M., & Hodson, G. (2006). The role of lay perceptions of ethnic prejudice in the maintenance and perpetuation of ethnic bias. Journal of Social Issues, 62, 453-568.
Esses, V. M., Veenvliet, S., Hodson, G., & Mihic, L. (2008). Justice, morality, and the dehumanization of refugees. Social Justice Research, 21, 4-25.
Esses, V. M., Wagner, U., Wolf, C., Preiser, M., & Wilbur, C. J. (2006). Perceptions of national identity and attitudes toward immigrants and immigration in Canada and Germany. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 30, 685-696.
Maio, G. R., & Esses, V. M. (2001). The need for affect: Individual differences in the motivation to approach or avoid emotions. Journal of Personality, 69, 583-615.

Other Publications:

Esses, V. M., Dietz, J., & Bhardwaj, A. (2006). The role of prejudice in the discounting of immigrant skills. In R. Mahalingam (Ed.), Cultural psychology of immigrants (pp. 113-130). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Esses, V. M., Dovidio, J. F., Semenya, A. H., & Jackson, L. M. (2005). Attitudes toward immigrants and immigration: The role of national and international identities. In D. Abrams, J. M. Marques, & M. A. Hogg (Eds.), The social psychology of inclusion and exclusion (pp. 317-337). Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.
Esses, V. M., & Jackson, L. M. (2008). Applying the unified instrumental model of group conflict to understanding ethnic conflict and violence: The case of Sudan. In V. M. Esses & R. A. Vernon (Eds.), Explaining the breakdown of ethnic relations: Why neighbours kill (pp. 223-243). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Esses, V. M., Jackson, L. M., Dovidio, J. F., & Hodson, G. (2005). Instrumental relations among groups: Group competition, conflict, and prejudice. In J. F. Dovidio, P. Glick, & L. Rudman (Eds.), Reflecting on the Nature of Prejudice (pp. 227-243). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
Esses, V. M., & Maio, G. R. (2002). Expanding the assessment of attitude components and structure: The benefits of open-ended measures. In W. Stroebe & M. Hewstone (Eds.), European Review of Social Psychology (Vol. 12, pp. 71-102). Chichester: Wiley.

Victoria Esses
Department of Psychology
University of Western Ontario
London, ON N6A 5C2
Canada

Phone: (519) 661-2111, ext. 84650
Fax: (519) 661-3961