University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: Discrimination and Prejudice

Normative Discrimination and the Gender Binary: Negative Evaluations of People with Nonconventional Pronouns

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Social Psychology Quarterly (2026) Authors: Chloe Grace Hart, Aliya Saperstein, Shelley J. Correll Abstract: Pronoun sharing has become a common inclusion practice in U.S. schools and workplaces. Drawing on normative discrimination theories, however, we predict that pronoun sharing can lead to negative evaluations of people who share nonconventional pronouns. In a preregistered survey experiment (N = 1,516), …

Stress Around Interracial Interactions May Be a Missing Link in Health Disparities Among Black Americans

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Black Americans face disproportionately high rates of chronic illness and mental health challenges compared to White Americans. A new study by Institute for Diversity Science (IDS) affiliate Morgan Jerald and colleague Milena Berestko suggests that stress surrounding interracial interactions may play a previously overlooked role in health disparities. Jerald and Berestko, with support from an …

How Awareness of Stereotypes Shapes Black Americans’ Experiences in Nature  

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Wisconsin’s many parks and natural areas offer opportunities for relaxation, recreation, and renewal—but not everyone experiences the outdoors in the same way. New research by Michelle Marji and Dr. Paula Niedenthal explores why Black Americans often report fewer benefits, greater barriers, and, at times, less belonging in outdoor spaces, even as nature engagement is known …

Research Reveals Hidden Role of Skin Tone in Hazardous Job Assignments 

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  Research led by IDS Graduate Fellow and Wisconsin School of Business PhD candidate Alexis Avery uncovers how historical biases around skin tone continue to shape workplace experiences, particularly in the assignment of hazardous tasks. Avery finds that managers draw on these biases when deciding who is best suited for dangerous work, leaving darker-skinned employees disproportionately …

Inclusive but Not Integrative: Ethnoracial Boundaries and the Use of Spanish in the Market for Rental Housing

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Sociological Science (2023) Authors: Ariela Schachter, John Kuk, Max Besbris, Garrett Pekarek Abstract: Increasing Spanish fluency in the United States likely shapes ethnoracial group boundaries and inequality. We study a key site for group boundary negotiations—the housing market—where Spanish usage may represent a key source of information exchange between landlords and prospective renters. Specifically, we examine the use …

Mortality Rate and Age of Death Among Medicare-Enrolled Autistic Older Adults

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Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders (2023) Authors: Morgan Krantz, Djhenne Dalmacy, Lauren Bishop, Madison Hyer, Brittany N. Hand Abstract: An emerging body of evidence suggests that autistic people are at greater risk for mortality than non-autistic people. Yet, relatively little is known about mortality rates among autistic people during older adulthood (i.e., age 65 or older). We …

“I’m dealing with a health care system that doesn’t get it”: Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Healthcare for Autistic Adults

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Autism (2024) Authors: Kiley J. McLean, Meghan Hass, Jamie Koenig, Megan Horvath, Mariah Vigil, Nicole E. Werner, Lauren Bishop Abstract: Emerging research points to high rates of major psychiatric disorders and chronic medical conditions among autistic adults. However, the unique healthcare needs of autistic adults are often overlooked, perhaps due to limitations in population-level surveillance and widespread …

Evaluation of Equity in Hospice Care Utilization Among Medicare-Enrolled Autistic Older Adults

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Autism in Adulthood (2025) Authors: Lauren Bishop, Melica Nikahd, Bethany J. Wolf, Brian W. Patternson, Anne Longo, Deondray Radford, Emma Krantz, J. Madison Hyer, Brittany N. Hand Abstract: Better identification of autistic people and increased life expectancy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have given rise to an urgent need to better understand end-of-life care in …

Using National Survey Data to Estimate Healthcare Communication Disparities for Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

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Journal of Intellectual Disability Research (2025) Authors: Jamie Koenig, Lauren Bishop Abstract: Previous studies have identified considerable health outcome disparities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as well as poor or ineffective communication between adults with IDD and their medical providers. Using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data, this paper uses logistic regression to estimate …

Challenging Neurotypical Norms: Autistic Adults’ Understandings of Health

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Autism (2025) Authors: Jamie Koenig, Kiley J. McLean, Meghan Haas, Megan Horvath, Mariah Vigil, Nahime G. Aguirre Mtanous, Sarah Effertz, Lauren Bishop Abstract: This study examined how autistic adults conceptualize health and whether their conceptualizations differed substantively from those of their emergency contacts (people who helped with health or healthcare management). We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 dyads …