Angel Armenta

Research Interests:
Reactions toward societal change
Individual differences in reactions toward societal change
Solutions for reducing prejudice and discrimination
Research

I am currently not accepting new Ph.D. students or new undergraduate research assistants. 

My current interests revolve around the changing dynamics at the societal level. Around the world, agents of change (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, social movements, etc.) continue to introduce new ideas, beliefs, and values to cities, states, and countries through increased social interaction. Changing demographics have made majority groups increasingly anxious about the possibility of becoming a minority group in the U.S. These timely issues have important implications for research on intergroup relationships. Thus, my research programs investigate reactions (e.g., violent radicalization) toward societal shifts and the enactors of those shifts, individual difference variables that exacerbate or reduce negative reactions toward societal shifts, and solutions for reducing intergroup strife caused by societal change. Through my research, I strive to make a significant impact on the world by studying the antecedents of prejudice and discrimination from a strong theoretical perspective and develop solutions to those issues. Ultimately, my research strives to solve the social malady occurring in the real world.

 

Selected Publications:

Armenta, A. D., Alvarez, M. J., Aguilera, R., Hitlan, R., Federico, C., & Zárate, M. A. (2022). Cultural inertia: Framework of Change and Intergroup Relations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672221076209

Reyna, C., Harris, K., Bellovary, A., Armenta, A. D., & Zárate, M. A. (2022). The Good Ol’ Days: White Identity, Collective Nostalgia, and the Perpetuation of National and Racial Extremism. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 25(3), 81-103. https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302211057454

Armenta, A. D., James, K., Bray, J. R., & Zárate, M. A. (2021). National Nostalgia and Prostalgia Predict Support for Black Lives Matter and Creating a New Normal Following the Pandemic. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 22(1), 89-105.     https://doi.org/10.1111/asap.12283

Armenta, A. D., Alvarez, M., & Zárate, M. A. (2021). Wounds that Never Heal: The Proliferation of Prejudice Toward Immigrants in the U.S. In Tummala-Narra, P. & Leong, F. (Eds.), Trauma and Racial Minority Immigrants: Turmoil, Uncertainty, and Resistance (pp. 15-30). American Psychological Association.

Armenta, A. D., Bray, J. R, & Zárate, M. A. (In Press). How Cultural Change Shapes Intergroup and Intragroup Relations. In Katzarska-Miller, I. & Reysen, S. (Eds.), Globalized Identities: The Impact of Globalization on Self and Identity. Pelgrave Macmillan.

Bellovary, A., Armenta, A. D., & Reyna, C. (2020). Stereotypes of Immigrants and Immigration in the United States. In Nadler, T. J. & Voyles, E. (Eds.), Stereotypes: The Incidence and Impacts of Bias (pp. 128-145). Praeger.

Harris, K., Armenta, A. D., Reyna, C., & Zárate, M. A. (2020). Latinx Stereotypes: Myths and Realities in the 21st century. In Nadler, T. J. & Voyles, E. (Eds.), Stereotypes: The Incidence and Impacts of Bias (pp. 146-164). Praeger.