Heather J. Smith

I am a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology at Sonoma State University. My scholarship examines how group memberships shape people's definitions and reactions to fairness, disadvantage, and social inequality. My research with Sonoma State undergraduates includes studies of bystander behavior, university identification, student well-being, and educational experiences.

Research & Areas of Expertise

• Social justice and relative deprivation

• Bystander behavior and responses to injustice

• Group identity, fairness, and inequality

• Student well-being and university identification

• Educational assessment and student success

Recent scholarship includes work on group affirmation, online bystander intervention, neighborhood-based relative deprivation, college friendships, and the relationship between inequality, mental health, and social behavior.