people

Brenda Major

Brenda Major
Psychology
UCSB
Professor

Brenda Major is an experimental social psychologist whose research focuses on social stigma, the psychological justification of inequality, including gender inequality, and the psychological antecedents and consequences of perceived discrimination and unfair treatment. Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Philosophical Foundation, among others. Major is Past President of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and is the author of approximately 150 articles and book chapters and an edited book. Current research projects examine the impact of organizational diversity initiatives on minorities’ and majorities’ perceptions of fairness and acceptance within organizations, and the impact of perceived ethnic, gender, and weight-based discrimination on physiological stress responses, health behaviors, and interpersonal relationships.

Grants, Awards and Distinctions:

Russell-Sage Foundation. 2018-2019. Examining Health Costs of Upward Mobility among Latino/a American Young Adults. $149,825.

National Science Foundation. 2011-2015. Collaborative research: Diversity structures create illusions of fairness. Co-P.I. $269,267.

National Institutes of Health. 2013-2016. Psychological, physiological, and behavioral effects of weight stigma. P.I. $1,893,033.

National Institute of Health. 2014-2016. Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research for Graduate Research Assistants. PI. $86,000.

UCSB Academic Senate Faculty Research Grant. 2016-2017. Risk and Resilience: Trust, Perceived Discrimination and Thriving Amoung Latino Youth. $13,500

University of California Health Psychology Consortium Seed Grant. 2017-2018. Risk and Resilience amping First Year Latino/a Students: The Role of Sleep and Perceived Discrimination. $10,000.

Russell-Sage Foundation. 2019. Examining Health Costs of Upward Mobility amoung Latino/a American Young Adults. PI $149,825

UCSB Academic Senate Grant, Testing interventions to alleviate weight stigma effects. $5,200.

UCSB College of Letters and Science, Office of the Executive Dean.  Proposal for Conference on Current Directions in the Science of Human Resilience. $2,500.

brenda.major@psych.ucsb.edu
http://www.psych.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/major/
Education and Health
Sex and Gender

Publications

Dover, T. L., Kaiser, C. R., & Major, B. 2020. 
"Mixed signals: The unintended effects of diversity initiatives. "
Social Issues and Policy Review, 14. (1), 152-181. doi: 10.1111/sipr.12059. 
Research Themes:
Immigration, Race and Ethnicity
Dover, T. L., Major, B., & Kaiser, C. R. 2020. 
"Cardiovascular, behavioral and psychological responses to organizational prodiversity messages among racial/ethnic minorities. "
Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 1-21. doi: 10.1177/1368430220944222.  
Research Themes:
Education and Health, Immigration, Race and Ethnicity
Major, B., Rathbone, J. A., Blodorn, A., & Hunger, J. M. 2020. 
"The countervailing effects of weight stigma on weight-loss motivation and perceived capacity for weight control. "
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1-13. doi: 10.1177/0146167220903184. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Gordon, A. M., Prather, A. A., Dover, T., Espino-Perez, K., Small, P., & Major, B. 2020.
"Anticipated and experienced ethnic/racial discrimination and sleep: A longitudinal study. "
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1-12. doi: 10.1177/014616722C928859. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health, Immigration, Race and Ethnicity
Small, P. A. & Major, B. 2019. 
"Crossing the racial line: The fluidity vs. fixedness of racial identity. "
Self and Identity, 1-26. doi: 10.1080/15298868.2019.1662839. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health, Sex and Gender
Dover, T. L., Hunger, J. M. & Major, B. 2019.
"Health consequences of prejudice and discrimination. "
In K. Sweeny & M. Robins (Eds.), The Wiley Encyclopedia of Health Psychology. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health, Immigration, Race and Ethnicity
McCleary-Gaddy, A. T., Miller, C. T., Grover, K. W., Hodge, J. J., & Major, B. 2019. 
"Weight stigma and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis reactivity in individuals who are overweight. "
Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 53. (4), 392-398. doi: 10.1093/abm/kay042. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Dover, T. L., Major, B., & Glace, A. M. 2019. 
"Discrimination, health, and the costs and benefits of believing in system fairness. "
Health Psychology, Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/hea0000841. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Dover, T., Major, B., & Kaiser, C.R. 2016. 
"Members of high-status groups are threatened by pro-diversity organizational messages."
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 62,58-67. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2015.10.006.
Spencer-Rodgers, J., Major, B. Forster, D. , & Peng, K. 2016. 
"The Power of Affirming Group Values: Group Affirmation Buffers the Self-Esteem of Women Exposed to Blatant Sexism."
Self and Identity. DOI: 10.1080/15298868.2016.1145593.
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
Richman, L., Blodorn, A. & Major, B. In press. 
"An identity-based model of discrimination and health behaviors: Implications for Health Disparities."
Group Processes and Intergroup Relations.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Dover, T., Major, B. & Kaiser, C. R. (in press). 
"Diversity Structures, Status, and System-Justifying Beliefs: When Diversity Initiatives Backfire."
Group Processes and Intergroup Relations.
Dover, T., Kaiser, C.R. & Major, B. 2016.  
"Diversity policies don't make organizations fairer and they threaten white men."
 Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2016/01/diversity-policies-dont-help-women-or-minorities...
Blodorn, A., Major, B. & Kaiser, C. In press. 
"Perceived discrimination and poor health: Accounting for self-blame complicates a well-established relationship."
Social Science and Medicine. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Hoyt, C.H, Burnette, J.L, Auster-Gussman, L., Blodorn, A, & Major, B. In press. 
"The obesity stigma asymmetry model: The indirect and divergent effects of blame and changeability beliefs on anti-fat prejudice."
Stigma and Health.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Major, B., Kunstman, J., Sawyer, P., Townsend, S. & Mendes, W. B. 2016. 
"Suspicion of motives predicts minorities' responses to positive feedback in interracial interactions."
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology,62, 75-88. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2015.10.007.
Blodorn, A., Major, B., Hunger, J.M. & Miller, C.T. 2016. 
"Unpacking the psychological weight of weight stigma: A rejection-expectation pathway."
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 63,69-76. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2015.12.003.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Ryan, W., Hunger, J. & Major, B. In press. 
"Understanding LGB Mental and Physical Health Disparities Through the Lens of Stigma and Social Identity Threat."
Journal of Social Issues.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Blodorn, A. & Major, B. (in press) Stigma.  In H. Miller (Ed.), 
"Encyclopedia of Theory in Psychology"
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Brady, L.M., Kaiser, C., Major, B. & Kirby, T. (2015)
"It's fair for us: Diversity structures cause women to legitimize discrimination."
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.57, 100-110.
Research Themes:
Education and Health, Sex and Gender
LaCosse, J., Tuscherer, T., Kunstman, J., Plant, A., Trawalter, S. & Major, B. 2015. 
"Suspicion of White people's motives relates to relative accuracy in detecting external motivation to respond without prejudice."
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Major, B, & Dover, T. 2015.
"Attributions to discrimination: Antecedents and Consequences."
In T.D. Nelson (Ed.). Handbook of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination, 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Psychology Press. 
Hunger, J.M., Major, B., Blodorn, A. & Miller, C. (2015) 
"Weighed down by stigma: How weight-based social identity threat contributes to weight gain and health."
 Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 9, 255-268. doi: 10.1111/spc3.12172
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Dover, T. L., Major, B., Kunstman, J. W., & Sawyer, P. J. (2015) 
"Does unfairness feel different if it can be linked to group membership? Cognitive, affective, behavioral and physiological implications of discrimination and unfairness."
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 56, 96-103.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Kirby, T., Kaiser, C. & Major, B. (2015)
"Insidious procedures: Diversity awards legitimize unfair organizational procedures."
Social Justice Research, 28, 169-186. doi: 10.1007/s11211-015-0240-z
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Hunger, J.M. & Major, B. 2014.
"Weight Stigma Mediates the Association between BMI and Psychological and Physical Health."
Health Psychology. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Major, B., Hunger, J., Bunyan, D & Miller, C.T. 2014.
"The ironic effects of weight stigma."
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 51, 74-80.
Research Themes:
Education and Health, Sex and Gender
Link
Dover, T., Major, B. & Kaiser, C. R. 2014. 
"Diversity initiatives, status, and system-justifying beliefs: When and how diversity efforts de-legitimize discrimination claims."
Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 17(4), 485-493. 
Link
Proulx, T. & Major, B. (2013). 
"A Raw Deal: Heightened Liberalism Following Exposure to Anomalous Playing Cards."
Journal of Social Issues,69(3) 455-472. 
Link
Eliezer, D. & Major, B.
"It's not your fault: The social costs of claiming discrimination on behalf of someone else"
Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. Vol 15, no 4. 487-502. 2013.
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
PDF
Kaiser, C. R., Major, B., Jurcevic, I., Dover, T., Brady, L. M., & Shapiro, J. R. (2013).
"Presumed fair: Ironic effects of organizational diversity structures."
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 104 (3) 504-519.
Link
Townsend, S.S.M., Eliezer, D., Major, B., Mendes, W.B. (2013). 
"Influencing the world versus adjusting to constraints: Social class moderates responses to discrimination."
Social Psychological and Personality Science.5(2), 226-234.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Link
Major, B., Eliezer, D. & Rieck, H.
"The psychological weight of weight stigma"
Social Psychological and Personality Science. 2013.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
PDF
Major, B., Mendes, W.B. & Dovidio, J. (2013).
"Intergroup relations and health disparities: A social psychological perspective."
Health Psychology, 32, 514-524.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Link
Simon, S., Kinias, Z., O'Brien, L.T., Major, B., Bivolaru, E. (2013). 
"Prototypes of discrimination: How status asymmetry and stereotype asymmetry affect judgments of racial discrimination."
Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 35(6), 525-533.
Link
Major, B., Sawyer, P.J. & Kunstman, J.W. (2013).
"Minority perceptions of Whites' motives for responding without prejudice: The perceived internal and external motivation to avoid prejudice scales."
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 39(3), 401-414.
PDF
Link
Major, B. & Kunstsman, J. W. (2013). 
"Suspicion in Interracial Interactions: Using Measures of Cardiovascular Reactivity to Index Threat."
In B. Derks, D. Scheepers & N. Ellemers (Eds.) The Neuroscience of Prejudice and Intergroup Relations. New York, NY: Psychology Press. 
Research Themes:
Education and Health
Sawyer, P.J., Major, B., Casad, B., Townsend, SSM, & Mendes, WB.
"Discrimination and the stress response: Psychological and physiological consequences of anticipating prejudice in interracial interactions"
American Journal of Public Health.102.5, 1020-1026. 2012.
Research Themes:
Education and Health
PDF
Major, B., S.S.M. Townsend, P.J. Sawyer & W.B. Mendes
"From "in the air" to "under the skin": Cortisol responses to social identity threat"
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2012
Research Themes:
Education and Health
PDF
O'Brien, L. T., Major, B. N., & Gilbert, P. N.
"Gender differences in entitlement: The role of system-justifying beliefs"
Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 34(2), 136-145. 2012.
Research Themes:
Sex and Gender
PDF
Eliezer, D., Townsend, S. S. M., Sawyer, P. J., Major, B. & Mendes, W. B.
"System justifying beliefs moderate the relationship between perceived discrimination and resting blood pressure"
Social Cognition.29, 303-321.
Research Themes:
Education and Health, Sex and Gender
PDF