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About the RISC Lab

Rutgers Implicit SocialCognition (RISC) Lab  (Dr. Luis M.Rivera): The RISC Lab investigates implicit biases, beliefs, and attitudes and how they affect (a) the self and identity (e.g., ethnicity, race, sexual, gender, criminals) of individuals from stigmatized and disadvantaged groups, and (b) inequities in health and STEM. Studies examine how biases operate in different social contexts. Our general research questions of interest are: What social contexts motivate groups and individuals to express stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination and to develop and maintain their group identities? How do contexts and individuals contribute to the presence and persistence of inequities in health, STEM, and the criminal justice system?

Research assistants will be involved in multiple aspects of collaborative research, such as participant recruitment, data collection, data coding and analyses, and manuscript preparation.  In addition, research assistants will have opportunities to develop practical skills such as critical thinking and oral and written presentations, as well as develop mentor-mentee relationships with RISC Lab members.

 

Rivera Receives NSF Award to Study Implicit Racial Identities in Puerto Rico

The history of colonialism impacts society members’ education, health, and prosperity today. One legacy of colonialism is that racial groups and identities signal and reinforce status and advantage differences. Moreover, among individuals from low-status and disadvantaged groups, racial identities are often linked to support for public policies. This NSF project tests the relations between the history of colonialism and present-day racial identities, providing insights into how identities impact quality of life. The project, in collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, is being conducted in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory widely considered to be one of the oldest colonies.

Minghui Ni joined the RISC lab as a postdoctoral associate

Minghui graduated with Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Cornell University in December 2024. Following her graduation, Minghui joined the RISC lab as a postdoctoral associate. Minghui is interested in studying fundamental psychological processes of human cognition and attitudes, as well as the emergence and perpetuation of bias in everyday contexts. At the RISC lab, Minghui is going to work on various projects in the lab that are related to implicit social cognition.

Check out Minghui’s website for more information about her research.

Chenqi Gao Presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology 2025 Annual Convention

Chenqi Gao presented her work “Impact of Intersectionality in Math Exemplars on Children’s Math Stereotypes” at SPSP 2025. This research explored the intersectional effects of exposure to ethnic-racial minority women and men math professionals on the gender math stereotypes expressed by middle-school girls and boys across two U.S. school districts with predominantly Black and Latinx students. This research underscores the importance of diversity in math professions and a deeper understanding of intersectionality in addressing gender math stereotypes.

Hiba Suhail Joins RISC Lab as a Doctoral Student

Hiba earned her B.A. in psychology and B.S. in criminology at California State University, Fresno in May 2024. She is interested in examining implicit bias and social attitudes among criminal justice practitioners, with an emphasis on law enforcement officers. Her current project seeks to examine implicit bias towards Arab Muslims before and after the October 7th terrorist attack on Israel.