dr.keithmaddox

Keith Maddox, Ph.D.

Dr. Keith Maddox is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Tufts University and director of the Tufts University Social Cognition (TUSC) lab. He received his A.B. (1991) in psychology from the University of Michigan, and his M.A. (1994) and Ph.D. (1998) in social psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Maddox is the recipient of a number of grants and awards, including a graduate student fellowship from the National Science Foundation in 1993, a President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship from the University of California in 1997, and grants from the National Science Foundation, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, and the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. Currently, Professor Maddox is a Faculty Fellow of the Tisch College developing a project to explore the impact of racial phenotypicality bias in communities surrounding Tufts.

The TUSC Lab is focused on research programs examining social cognitive aspects of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination, seeking to understand topics such as: cognitive representations and stereotypes of African Americans based on variation in skin tone and other phenotypic characteristics; the experience of stereotype threat among members of socially marginalized groups; how the perception of ulterior motives can influence social judgments; the role of social categories in spatial representation; and individual student projects covering a range of social psychological topics. As the United States becomes a more diverse society, issues surrounding stereotyping and discrimination will continue to gain importance. The long-range goal is to further the understanding of the representation of stereotypic knowledge and its implications for the behavior and treatment of members of stereotyped groups.