Dr. Crystal L. Hoyt
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Profile
Dr. Crystal L. Hoyt is professor of leadership studies and psychology and the Colonel Leo K. and Gaylee Thorsness Endowed Chair in Ethical Leadership at the University of Richmond.
Her scholarship generally resides at the intersection of human belief systems (e.g., mindsets, stereotypes, and ideologies) and social justice and well-being. She focuses on better understanding the experiences and the perceptions of individuals with stigmatized social identities, such as women and minorities in leadership or STEM fields, those who are overweight, sexual minorities, or those who live in poverty. Her research has implications for a host of fundamental social issues, such as addressing ethical failures in leadership, tackling intergroup bias and discrimination, bridging the gaps in leadership and educational achievement, and ensuring that social policies and interventions regarding vital social issues are informed and intentional.
Hoyt has received grants and awards recognizing her teaching and research. She is a fellow of both the Association for Psychological Science and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and a recipient of both the University of Richmond’s Distinguished Educator Award and the Distinguished Scholarship Award.
Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and appears in journals, such as Psychological Science, Psychological Bulletin, Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and Leadership Quarterly. She has published over 80 journal articles and book chapters and has co-edited three books. She has served as associate editor at Journal of Experimental Psychology: General and as a member of the editorial board for Leadership Quarterly and Sex Roles. Her research and writing have been featured in news outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, US News and World Report, Boston Globe, Today Show, and NPR’s Tell Me More, among others.
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Awards
Jepson School Award for Leadership and Service, University of Richmond, 2022
Distinguished Scholarship Award, University of Richmond, 2021
SPSP Fellow, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 2020
APS Fellow, Association for Psychological Science, 2018
Outstanding Alumni Award, Psychology Department, Claremont McKenna College, 2012
Distinguished Educator Award, University of Richmond, 2009
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Awards
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Selected Publications
Journal Articles
Burnette, J. L., Earl, S., Hoyt, C. L., & Pollack, J. M. (September 2025). "Loneliness mindsets: A new measurement approach and implications for predicting wellbeing." Behavioral Sciences 15(9).
Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., & Kyler, E. N. (July 2025). "Distinguishing between individual and societal socioeconomic mobility beliefs: Understanding attitudes toward those in poverty." Group Processes & Intergroup Relations. Advance online publication.
Hoyt, C. L., Hudson, Sk. T. J., Chin, S., et al. (May 2025). "Gender identity awareness as a shadow pillar of the gender hierarchy: How it can undermine women in leadership." Sex Roles 91, 40.
Hoyt, C. L., & Burnette, J. L. (January 2025). "How mindsets can mitigate or sustain prejudice." Current Directions in Psychological Science. Advance online publication.
Burnette, J. L., Becker, W., Hoyt, C. L., & Lipsey, N. P. (December 2024). "Mindsets of parenting ability: Coping with challenges and engaging in parenting." Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Advance online publication.
Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., and Moore M. (Nov. 18, 2024). "Partisan prejudice: The role of beliefs about the unchanging nature of ideology and partisans." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Advance online publication.
Burnette, J. L., Hoyt, C. L., Becker, W., & O'Keefe, P. A. (Nov. 18, 2024). "Addiction stigma: Potential costs and benefits of beliefs about the nature of addiction." Stigma and Health. Advance online publication.
Hoyt, Crystal L., Ayele d'Almeida, Rachel B. Forsyth, & Jeni L. Burnette. (2024). Mindsets of criminality: Predicting punitive and rehabilitative attitudes. Psychology, Crime and Law.
Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., Marston, A., Moore, M., Rosen, S., and Lavine, I. (2024). "The role of health campaigns in stigma toward those with anorexia nervosa." Stigma and Health. Advance online publication.
Hoyt, C. L., Rafferty, D., Earl, S., & Burnette, J. L. (2024). Growth mindsets of people can promote interracial contact intentions among White Americans via positive expectations and reduced anxiety. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302231187262
Babij, A. D., Earl, S., Becker, W., Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., Marston, A., and Crispin, K. (2023, Oct. 16). "Mindsets of mental illness: What are the implications for stigma?" Stigma and Health. Advance online publication.
Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., Billingsley, J., Becker, W., & Babij, A. D. (online September 2023). Mindsets of poverty: Implications for redistributive policy support. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 23(3): 668-693. https://doi.org/10.1111/asap.12367
Hoyt, C. L., Lundberg, K. B., Lauber, M., Wallace, H., & Marston, A. (Aug. 2, 2023). When coupled with anti-egalitarianism, colour evasion predicts protection of the status quo during a university-wide movement for racial justice. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2726
Burnette, Jeni L, Laura E. Knouse, Joseph Billingsley, Sydney Earl, Jeffrey M. Pollack, and Crystal L. Hoyt. (online Dec. 27, 2022). A systematic review of growth mindset intervention implementation strategies. Social and Personality Psychology Compass. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12723.
Hoyt, Crystal L., Joseph Billingsley, Jeni L. Burnette, Whitney Becker, & Alexandra D. Babij. (2022). The implications of mindsets of poverty for stigma against those in poverty. Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
Becker, Whitney, Jeni L. Burnette, & Crystal L. Hoyt. (2022). Coping in the time of COVID-19: Mindsets and the stories we tell. Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
Burnette, J. L., J. Billingsley, G. C. Banks, L. E. Knouse, C. L. Hoyt, J. M. Pollack, & S. Simon. (2022). A systematic review and meta-analysis of growth mindset interventions: For whom, how, and why might such interventions work? Psychological Bulletin.
Simon, Stefanie, Crystal L. Hoyt, & Stephanie Fattorusso. (2022). Stereotypic beliefs contribute to gender disparities in the field of economics. The Journal of Social Psychology.
Burnette, Jeni L., Crystal L. Hoyt, N. Buttrick, & L. Auster-Gussman. (2022). Well-being in the time of COVID-19: Do metaphors and mindsets matter? International Journal of Psychology.
Burnette, Jeni L., Joseph Billingsley, & Crystal L. Hoyt. (2022). Harnessing growth mindsests to help individuals flourish. Social and Personality Psychology Compass.
Hoyt, Crystal L., Jeni L. Burnette, Emma Nash, Whitney Becker, & Joseph Billingsley. (2021). Growth Mindsets of Anxiety: Do the Benefits to Individual Flourishing Come with Societal Costs? The Journal of Positive Psychology.
Hoyt, Crystal L., Jeni L. Burnette, Rachel B. Forsyth, Mitchell Parry, & Brenten H. DeShields. (2021). Believing in the American Dream sustains negative attitudes toward those in poverty. Social Psychology Quarterly.
Book ChaptersHoyt, C.L. (2025). Stacey Abrams: Championing voting rights and transforming American democracy. In George R. Goethals and Scott T. Allison (Eds.) Case Studies in Political Leadership. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK.
Hoyt, C.L. (2024). Gender and heroism. In S. T. Allison, J. K. Beggan, & G. R. Goethals (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17125-3_13-1
Hoyt, C.L., & Simon, S. (2024). Social psychological approaches to women and leadership theory. In S. Madsen (Ed.) Handbook of Research on Gender and Leadership, 2nd ed. (pp. 65-83). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035306893.00015
Simon, Stefanie, & Crystal L. Hoyt. (2021). Gender and leadership. In Peter G. Northouse (ed.), Leadership: Theory and Practice, 9th edition. Los Angeles: Sage.
BlogsBurnette, Jeni L., Crystal L. Hoyt, and Joseph Billingsley. (Dec. 21, 2022). Do growth mindset interventions work? Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
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In the News
When it comes to prejudice, a growth mindset can cut both ways (Association for Psychological Science)
Tue., Jan. 21, 2025New research reveals the double-edge effects of essentialist beliefs on political bias (PsyPost)
Thu., Dec. 19, 2024How we can overcome our "partisan prejudice" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Tue., Nov. 5, 2024How the American dream distorts our views on poverty (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Fri., Mar. 10, 2023Misunderstanding poverty: Changing American mindsets (Our Dream Deferred podcast)
Wed., Aug. 16, 2023