Dr. Jane Berry's Lab

Lab Description

Since 2020, students in the Berry Lab have focused on questions related to support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. We are interested in who supports BLM and why, and whether support for BLM has changed over time. Our initial interest focused on age and race as predictors of BLM support, and has expanded to include potential mechanisms of support, such as beliefs about race, racism, and color-blindness, white privilege, policing, Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, Critical Race Theory, political affiliation, and others. Earlier work in the lab focused on ageism, stereotypes of aging, memory, and metacognitive aging. Our methods include in-person behavioral tests and online surveys, with quantitative and qualitative data collection. Students in the Berry Lab learn how to design their own research questions, interact with human research participants, collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data, and share their results in the public domain, through presentations and/or publications. Through these activities, students gain an appreciation for the rigors and joys of “doing science.” The Berry Lab thrives as an inclusive community of collaborators who welcome diverse ideas and discourse.