J. Nicole Shelton

J. Nicole Shelton, assistant professor of psychology at Princeton University, will work on three related studies concerning intergroup contact between blacks and whites. She will analyze data from an RSF-supported study on the role of racial identity and discrimination among African-American and white college students in order to examine the phenomenon of "discrimination anxiety" -- blacks' concern that they will be rejected because of their race, as well as whites' concern that they will appear prejudiced.

In a second study, Shelton will examine how African Americans use verbal and nonverbal cues, such as distinctive or overly deferential treatment, to detect and confront discrimination. Shelton's third project will focus on how the strength of an individual's racial identity affects his or her perception of discrimination and subsequent ability to cope with the negative mental health effects of real or perceived discrimination.