There has been extensive discussion about gender gaps in representation and career advancement in the sciences. However, psychological science itself has yet to be the focus of discussion or systematic review, despite our field’s investment in questions of equity, status, well-being, gender bias, and gender disparities. In the present article, we consider 10 topics relevant for women’s career advancement in psychological science. We focus on issues that have been the subject of empirical study, discuss relevant evidence within and outside of psychological science, and draw on established psychological theory and social-science research to begin to chart a path forward. We hope that better understanding of these issues within the field will shed light on areas of existing gender gaps in the discipline and areas where positive change has happened, and spark conversation within our field about how to create lasting change to mitigate remaining gender differences in psychological science.

African Americans can experience a double consciousness-the two-ness of being an American and an African American. The present research hypothesized that: (a) double consciousness can function as 2 self-schemas-an independent self-schema tied to mainstream American culture and an interdependent self-schema tied to African American culture, and (b) U.S. educational settings can leverage an interdependent self-schema associated with African American culture through inclusive multicultural practices to facilitate positive academic consequences. First, a pilot experiment and Studies 1 and 2 provided evidence that double consciousness can be conceptualized as 2 self-schemas. That is, African Americans shifted their behavior (e.g., cooperation) in schema-relevant ways from more independent when primed with mainstream American culture to more interdependent when primed with African American culture. Then, Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated that incorporating African American culture within a university setting enhanced African Americans' persistence and performance on academic-relevant tasks. Finally, using the Gates Millennium Scholars dataset (Cohort 1), Study 5 conceptually replicated Studies 3 and 4 and provided support for one process that underlies the observed positive academic consequences. Specifically, Study 5 provided evidence that engagement with African American culture (e.g., involvement with cultural events/groups) on college campuses makes an interdependent self-schema more salient that increases African American students' sense of academic fit and identification, and, in turn, enhances academic performance (self-reported grades) and persistence (advanced degree enrollment in a long-term follow-up). The discussion examines double consciousness as a basic psychological phenomenon and suggests the intra- and intergroup benefits of inclusive multicultural settings.

Social class disparities in higher education between working-class students (i.e., students who are low income and/or do not have parents with four-year college degrees) and middle-class students (i.e., students who are high income and/or have at least one parent with a four year-degree) are on the rise. There is an urgent need for interventions, or changes to universities' ideas and practices, to increase working-class students' access to and performance in higher education. The current article identifies key factors that characterize successful interventions aimed at reducing social class disparities, and proposes additional interventions that have the potential to improve working-class students' chances of college success. As we propose in the article, effective interventions must first address key individual and structural factors that can create barriers to students' college success. At the same time, interventions should also fortify school-relevant selves, or increase students' sense that the pursuit of a college degree is central to "who I am." When students experience this strong connection between their selves and what it means to attend and perform well in college, they will gain a sense that

Recent real‐world events in which diversity policies and practices have been met with severe backlash can prompt a zero‐sum perception of inclusion efforts. This article offers theory‐based insights for instituting diversity initiatives that can afford inclusion for all—allowing institutions to reap the benefits of diversity efforts while reducing the costs of backlash. Using an inclusion for all framework we highlight three salient, interrelated, sources of backlash tied to dominant group members’ goals and motivations: (1) perceived or actual restriction of independence or autonomy, (2) preference for the status quo and colorblindness, and (3) beliefs that racial and other social equalities have been reached. Throughout, we emphasize an intergroup focus that recognizes the interdependent yet often divergent goals and motivations of marginalized and dominant groups. Mainstream institutions’ (colleges, workplaces) role as a critical site for inclusion interventions is discussed.

The emergence of COVID-19 has changed the state of psychological science: The foreseeable future of how psychologists will conduct research, and on what topics, is unclear. The current article provides a comprehensive perspective on how social psychologists can optimize their research in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we (a) highlight psychological phenomena that are most likely to change during the wake of COVID-19; (b) discuss theoretical, methodological, and practical considerations of conducting research on these phenomena; and (c) outline promising directions for key programs of research. We conclude with meta-scientific considerations and critical evaluations of scientific reproducibility. By many projections, society will remain altered by the COVID-19 pandemic permanently, such that a “new normal” will emerge with regards to social norms and perceptions underlying the basic processes psychologists have studied for decades. Such shifts can, in turn, blur the lines between findings that denote failures to replicate and findings that reflect previously absent environmental influences on cognition and behavior. These considerations will be important for how psychologists evaluate theory, consider social-contextual boundary conditions of effects, and conceptualize what it means for science to be truly reproducible.