Valerie Purdie Greenaway
Associate Professor of Psychology & Special Advisor to the Executive Vice President for Arts and Sciences

My Contact Info

401D Schermerhorn Hall (Office)
200D Schermerhorn Hall (Lab)

Lab Site

Laboratory of Intergroup Relations and the Social Mind at Columbia University

Office Hours

Tues. 4:15- 5:15 p.m
Or by email appointment



212 854 3608
[email protected]

Valerie Purdie Greenaway

Research Interests

Social Psychology
Intergroup Relations
Diversity & Inclusion


Ph.D., 2004, Stanford University

General Area of Research

Intergroup Relations & Diversity

Current Research

Our lab promotes the development of research regarding people with threatened identities, and examines the consequences of their experiences for intergroup relations. Any individual can have part of his/her identity that is devalued or stigmatized in some way—women in the sciences, gay/lesbian, bi-sexuals in American society, aging workers in technology firms, African-Americans in intellectual settings, certain immigrants in the U.S. We attempt to understand their experiences and, through research, uncover ways to improve how majority and minority group members “get along.” More recently our lab has incorporated broader lines of research that explores cultural psychology and economics as it applies to one’s group membership. To accomplish this mission, our research lab primarily conducts experimental laboratory and field studies. Our philosophy is to design experiments that closely mirror real-world phenomena. This often takes us into police departments, legal settings, schools, businesses, and beyond. In recent years, we have started to explore the use of psycho-physiological techniques to understand how threats to our identity affect basic biological responses. This research takes us back into the lab for basic experimental research. The ultimate goal of our research is to deepen our understanding of culture and intergroup relations in society and to eventually inform educational and public policy.

Courses Taught

Fall 2016

Supervised Individual Research

0 pts, UN3950


Fall 2016

The Psychology of Culture and Diversity (Seminar)

4 pts, GU4615

Selected Publications

Sensitivity to status-based rejection: implications for African American students' college experience.

Mendoza-Denton R
Downey G
Purdie VJ
Davis A
Pietrzak J.

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Stand-Your-Ground is losing ground for racial minorities' health

Valerie Purdie-Vaughns

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Prevention of Stress-Provoked Endothelial Injury by Values Affirmation: a Proof of Principle Study.

Spicer J.
Shimbo D.
Johnston N.
Harlapur M.
Purdie-Vaughns V.
Cook J.
Fu J.
Burg MM.
Wager TD.

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Needed Interventions to Reduce Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health

David R. Williams
Valerie Purdie-Vaughns

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The Implicit Power Motive in Intergroup Dialogues About the History of Slavery

Ruth K. Ditlmann
Valerie Purdie-Vaughns
John F. Dovidio
Michael J. Naft

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Loss of Institutional Trust Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Adolescents: A Consequence of Procedural Injustice and a Cause of Life-Span Outcomes.

Yeager DS
Purdie-Vaughns V
Hooper SY
Cohen GL

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