Psychology and Child Development

College of Liberal Arts

Amber Williams

Amber Williams

Associate Professor

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Contact Information

Education

  • Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • B.A., Psychology, Rice University

Courses Taught

 

  • CD 305 Early and Middle Childhood Development
  • CD 424 Children's Development in Diverse Cultures
  • PSY 372 Multicultural Psychology

Research Interests

My broad research interests focus on the role of race in shaping youths’ self-concepts, their relationships with in- and out-group members, and their academic outcomes. Within this domain, I have two lines of research. First, I study the development of diverse children’s racial cognition, including racial essentialism, stereotyping, and prejudice. I am also interested in how these racial attitudes relate to children’s behaviors, including their willingness to engage in cross-race friendships. Second, I explore the ways in which Black children’s and adolescents’ race-related experiences and beliefs directly and indirectly impact their academic outcomes. I am specifically interested in how Black youths’ attitudes about race (racial identity) and their parents’ socialization and involvement strategies influence Black youths’ academic success. 
 

Selected Publications

 

  • Williams, A. D., & Banerjee, M. (2021). Ethnic/racial socialization among Black, Latinx, and White parents of elementary school-age children. Journal of Social Issues, 77(4), 1037-1062. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12493 
  • Williams, A. D., Ramirez, C., & Bigler, R. S. (2021). The racial identity, beliefs, and preferences of Latinx children. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302211050553
  • Roberts, S. O., Weisman, K., Lane, J. D., Williams, A., Camp, N. P., Wang, M., Robison, M., Sanchez, K., & Griffiths, C. (2020). Conceptualizing God as a White man: A psychological barrier to conceptualizing Black people and women as leadership worthy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000233
  • Williams, A., Banerjee, M., Lozada-Smith, F., Lambouths III, D., & Rowley, S. J. (2017). Black mothers' perceptions of the role of race in children's education. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 79(4), 932-936. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12410
  • Roberts, S. O., Williams, A. D., & Gelman, S. A. (2016). Children’s and Adults’ Predictions of Black, White, and Multiracial Friendship Patterns. Journal of Cognition and Development, 18(2), 189–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2016.1262374

*denotes shared first-authorship

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