Selected Publications
2022
Feasel, S. H., Dover, T. L., Small, P. A., & Major, B. (2022). Effects of discrimination versus self-blame attributions on health: A longitudinal study. Stigma and Health, 7(3), 289 299. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000393. Link
Kaiser, C. R., Dover, T. L., Small, P., Xia, G., Brady, L. M., & Major, B. (2022). Diversity Initiatives and White Americans’ Perceptions of Racial Victimhood. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 48(6), 968–984. Link
Kunstman, J. W., Fitzpatrick, C. B., Moreno, R., Bernstein, M. J., Hugenberg, K., Semko, S., Espino-Pérez, K., & Major, B. (2022). Motives matter: White instructors’ external race-based motives undermine trust and belonging for Black college students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 28(1), 112–124. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000491. Link
Harris, P. E., Gordon, A. M., Dover, T. L., Small, P. A., Collins, N. L., & Major, B. (2022). Sleep, Emotions, and Sense of Belonging: A Daily Experience Study. Affective Science, 1-12.
2021
Rojas-Sanchez, A., Sarrazin, P., Joet, G., Major, B., & Chalabaev, A. (2021). Motivational processes of the relationship between weight stigma and physical activity: a comparison between France and Mexico. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1-16. doi: 10.1080/1612197X.2021.1956565. PDF
Glace, A. M., Dover, T. L., & Major, B. (2021). Latins identity and intersectional responses to stigma. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. Doi: 10.1037/cdp0000456. Link
Kaiser, C. R., Dover, T. L., Small, P., Xia, G., Brady, L. M., & Major, B. (2021). Diversity Initiatives and White Americans' Perceptions of Racial Victimhood. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1-17. Doi: 10.1177/01461672211030391. Link
2020
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. PDF
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. PDF
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. PDF
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. PDF
Dover, T.L., Major, B., & Glace, A.M. (2020). Discrimination, health, and the costs and benefits of believing in system fairness. Health Psychology, 39. (3), 230-239. doi: 10.1037/hea0000841.
Dover, T.L., Hunger, J.M., & Major, B. (2020). Health consequences of prejudice and discrimination. The Wiley Encyclopedia of Health Psychology, 2. (1), 231-238. doi: 10.1002/9781119057840.ch71. PDF
2019
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. PDF
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.
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. PDF
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. PDF
2018
Hunger, J. M., Blodorn, A., Miller, C. T., & Major, B. (2018). The psychological and physiological effects of interacting with an anti-fat peer. Body Image, 27., 148-155. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.09.002. PDF
Tomiyama, A. J., Carr, D., Granberg, E. M., Major, B., Robinson, E., Sutin, A. R., & Brewis, A. (2018). How and why weight stigma drives the obesity 'epidemic' and harms health. BMC Medicine, 16. (123). doi: 10.1186/s12916-018-116-5. PDF
Espino-Perez, K., Major, B., & Malta, B. (2018). Was it race or merit?: The cognitive costs of observing the attributionally ambiguous hiring of a racial minority. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24. (2), 272-276. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000153. Link
Major, B., Dovidio, J. F., & Link, B. G. (Eds.). (2018). The Oxford Handbook of Stigma, Discrimination, and Health. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Major, B., Tomiyama, A. J., & Hunger, J. M. (2018). The negative and bidirectional effects of weight stigma on health. The Oxford Handbook of Stigma, Discrimination, and Health, 499-519. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190243470.013.27. PDF
2017
West, T. V., Koslov, K., Page-Gould, E., Major, B., & Mendes, W. B. (2017). Contagious anxiety: Anxious European Americans can transmit their physiological reactivity to African Americans. Psychological Science, 28. (12), 1796-1806. doi: 10.1177/0956797617722551. PDF
Ryan, W. S., Hunger, J. M., & Major, B. (2017). Applying intergroup relations research to understanding LGB health disparities. Journal of Social Issues, 73. (3), 477-492. doi: 10.1111/josi.12227. PDF
Major, B. & Kaiser, C. R. (2017). Ideology and the maintenance of group inequality. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. 20. (5), 582–592. doi: 10.1177/1368430217712051. PDF
Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., Auster-Gussman, L., & Major, B. (2017). The obesity stigma asymmetry model: The indirect and divergent effects of blame and changeability beliefs on anti-fat prejudice. Stigma and Health, 2. (1), 53-65. doi: 10.1037/sah0000026. PDF
2016
Major, B., Blodorn, A., & Blascovich, G. M. (2016). The threat of increasing diversity: Why many White Americans support Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 21. (6), 931-940. doi: 10.1177/1368430216677304. PDF
Dover, T., Kaiser, C.R. & Major, B. (2016). Diversity policies rarely make companies fairer, and they feel threatening to white men. Harvard Business Review. 4 January 2016. Link
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 PDF
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
Major, B., Kunstman, J., Malta, B. D., 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 PDF
2015
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. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2014.09.003. Link
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 poor health. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 9, 255-268. doi: 10.1111/spc3.12172 PDF
Hunger, J.M. & Major, B. (2015). Weight stigma mediates the association between BMI and self-reported health. Health Psychology, 34, 172-175. doi: 10.1037/hea0000106 Link
2014
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, 485-493. doi: 10.1177/1368430213502560 PDF
Major, B., Hunger, J.M., Bunyan, D., & Miller, C.T. (2014). The ironic effects of weight stigma. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 51, 74-80. PDF
2013
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, 104 504-519. PDF
Major, B., Mendes, W.B. & Dovidio, J. (2013). Intergroup relations and health disparities: A social psychological perspective. Health Psychology, 32, 514–524. doi: 10.1037/a0030358 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, 401-414. PDF
2012
Sawyer, P.J., Major, B., Casad, B., Townsend, SSM, & Mendes, WB. (2012). Discrimination and the stress response: Psychological and physiological consequences of anticipating prejudice in interracial interactions. American Journal of Public Health, 102, 1020-1026. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300620 PDF
Major, B., Eliezer, D. & Rieck, H. (2012). The psychological weight of weight stigma. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3, 651-658. PDF
O’Brien, L.T., Major, B. & Simon, S. (2012). Why did you choose that person over me? Ingroup rejection and attributions to discrimination. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 1225-1233. PDF
2011
Townsend, S.S.M., Major, B., Gangi, C. E. & Mendes W.B. (2011). From “in the air” to “under the skin”: Cortisol responses to social identity threat. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 151-164. PDF
2010
Townsend, S.S.M., Major, B., Sawyer, P.J. & Mendes, W.B. (2010). Can the absence of prejudice be more threatening than its presence? It depends on one’s worldview. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 99, 933-947. doi: 10.1037/a0020434 PDF
Major, B. & Eliezer, D. (2010). Attributions to discrimination as a self-protective strategy: Evaluating the evidence. In C. Sedikides & M. Alicke (Eds.) Handbook of self-enhancement and self-protection. Guilford. Link
Eliezer, D., Major, B. & Mendes, W.B. (2010). The costs of caring: Gender identification increases threat following exposure to sexism. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 159-165. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2009.09.015. PDF
2009
Major, B., Appelbaum, M., Beckman, L., Dutton, M.A., Russo, N. F. & West, C. (2009). Abortion and mental health: Evaluating the evidence. American Psychologist, 64, 863-890. doi: 10.1037/a0017497 PDF
2008
American Psychological Association, Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion. (2008). Report of the Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion. Washington, DC: Author. PDF
Mendes, W. B., Major, B., McCoy, S., & Blascovich, J. (2008). How attributional ambiguity shapes physiological and emotional responses to social rejection and acceptance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 278-291. Link
O'Brien, L., Kinias, Z., & Major, B. (2008). How status and stereotypes impact attributions to discrimination: The stereotype-asymmery hypothesis. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 405-412. PDF
2007
McCoy, S. K. & Major, B. (2007). Priming meritocracy and the psychological justification of inequality. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 341-351. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2006.04.009 Link
Major, B., Kaiser, C.R, O’Brien, L. & McCoy, S. (2007). Perceived discrimination as worldview threat or worldview confirmation: Implications for self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 1068-1086. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1068 PDF
2006
Kaiser, C.R., Vick, S.B., & Major, B. (2006). Prejudice expectations moderate preconscious attention to social identity threatening cues. Psychological Science, 17, 332-338. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01707.x.
2005
Major, B., & O'Brien, L. T. (2005). The social psychology of stigma. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 393-421. PDF
2003
Crocker, J. & Major, B. (2003). The self-protective properties of stigma: Evolution of a modern classic. Psychological Inquiry, 14. (3&4), 232-237. doi: 10.1080/1047840X.2003.9682885. PDF
Major, B., McCoy, S. K., Kaiser, C.R., & Quinton, W.J. (2003). Prejudice and self esteem: A transactional model. European Review of Social Psychology, 14. (1), 77-104. doi: 10.1080/10463280340000027. PDF
McCoy, S. K., & Major, B. (2003). Group identification moderates emotional responses to perceived prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29. (8), 1005-1017. doi: 10.1177/0146167203253466. PDF
2002
Major, B., Quinton, W. J., & McCoy, S. K. (2002). Antecedents and consequences of attributions to discrimination: Theoretical and empirical advances. In M.P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol.34), pp. 251-330. US: Academic Press. PDF
2001
Mendes, W.B., Blascovich, J., Major, B., & Seery, M. (2001). Challenge and threat responses during downward and upward social comparisons. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 477-497. PDF
1998
Major, B., Spencer, S., Schmader, T., Wolfe, C., & Crocker, J. (1998). Coping with negative stereotypes about intellectual performance: The role of psychological disengagement. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24. (1), 34-50. doi: 10.1177/0146167298241003. PDF
1989
Crocker, J. & Major, B. (1989). Social stigma and self-esteem: The self-protective properties of stigma. Psychological Review, 96. (4), 608-630. PDF
1987
Deaux, K., & Major, B. (1987). Putting gender into context: An interactive model of gender-related behavior. Psychological Review, 94. (3), 369–389. PDF
