Kevin R. Binning, Ph. D.

Associate Professor, Department of Psychology

Research Scientist, Learning Research and Development Center

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kbinning@pitt.edu

Welcome

The US Census Bureau predicts that by 2045, the US will no longer be majority White. Racial and social class inequality continue to grow, and, as reactions to the ongoing pandemic illustrate, America's major political parties are increasingly polarized. Similar patterns are occurring around the world. Together, these interconnected trends portend a challenging future.

Through development, experimental refinement, and use of psychological theory, my work seeks to both understand and improve pressing societal problems. I begin with the assumption that diversity is not a liability but, rather, an opportunity. I am particularly focused on issues related to diversity and equity in education. I argue that while inequities in education are partly the result of broad societal factors, they are also driven by socially constructed, day-to-day, and context-specific features of students' learning environments. By addressing these features through in-depth analysis and timely experimental interventions, I seek to understand how to change social experiences to help all people thrive.

Current Graduate Students in the Lab

Beverly Conrique
Ketura Elie
Sarah Kurz

Lab Alumni

Chadé Darby
Susie Chen
Joe Mernyk

Recent Presentation Notes

Mentoring Practices to Promote Trust, Persistence, and Belonging in Academia, SPARK Society Panel on Inclusive Mentoring, Psychonomic Society Annual Meeting (virtual presentation; 2021) Download Slides

Recent lab news

Ketura Elie has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Reserach Fellowship. Congratulations, Ketura!
Chadé Darby has successfully defended her undergraduate honors thesis and has accepted an offer to the PhD program in Organizational Behavior at Cornell University.
See work led by Susie Chen on the benefits of identifying as a science person here.
See a summary of our work on ecological-belonging in college classrooms featured in the Dietrich School Snapshot.

Working paper

Hammarlund, S. P., Davis, C., Binning, K. R., & Cotner, S. (2021, June 3). In an "ecological-belonging" intervention to reduce inequities in STEM, context matters. Manuscript under review. Download PDF

Publications

Badea, C., Binning, K. R., Sherman, D. K., Boza, M., & Kende, A. (2021). Conformity to group norms: How group-affirmation shapes collective action. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 95. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., Blatt, L. R., Chen, S., & Votruba-Drzal, E. (in press). Going to college with a posse: How having high school peers on campus supports college achievement. AERA Open. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., Cook, J. E., Greenaway, V. P., Garcia, J., Apfel, N., Sherman, D. K., & Cohen, G. L. (2021). Securing self-integrity over time: Self-affirmation disrupts a negative cycle between psychological threat and academic performance. Journal of Social Issues. Download PDF

Chen, S., Binning, K. R., Manke, K. J., Brady, S. T., McGreevy, E. M., Betancur, L., Limeri, L. B., & Kaufmann, N. (2021). Am I a science person? A strong science identity bolsters minority students' sense of belonging and performance in college. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 47, 593-606. Download PDF

Wang, M.-T., Binning, K. R., Del Toro, J., Qin, X., & Zepeda, C. D. (2021). Skill, thrill, and will: The role of metacognition and motivation in predicting student engagement over time. Child Development, 92, 1369-1387. Download PDF

Wang, M.-T., Zepeda, C. D., Qin, X., Del Toro, J., & Binning, K. R. (2021). More than growth mindset: Individual and interactive links among socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents' ability mindsets, metacognitive skill, and math engagement. Child Development. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., & Browman, A. S. (2020). Theoretical, ethical, and policy implications for conducting social-psychological interventions to close educational achievement gaps. Social Issues and Policy Review, 14, 182-216. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., Kaufmann, N., McGreevy, E. M., Fotuhi, O., Chen, S., Kalender, Z. Y., Marshman, E., Limeri, L. B., Betancur, L., & Singh, C. (2020). Changing social contexts to foster equity in college science classrooms: An ecological-belonging intervention. Psychological Science, 31, 1059-1070. Download PDF

Browman, A., & Binning, K. R. (2020). Fostering equity in education with psychological interventions. Forward: The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (Spring issue; Commentary). Link

Binning, K. R., Cook, J. E., Purdie-Greenaway, V., Garcia, J., Chen, S., Apfel, N., Sherman, D. K., & Cohen, G. L. (2019). Bolstering trust and reducing discipline incidents at a diverse middle school: How self-affirmation affects behavioral conduct during the transition to adolescence. Journal of School Psychology, 75, 74-88. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., Wang, M. T., & Amemiya, J. (2019). Persistence mindset among adolescents: Who benefits from the message that academic struggles are normal and temporary? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48, 269-286. Download PDF

Badea, C., Binning, K. R., Verlhiac, J. F., & Sherman, D. K. (2018). In the aftermath of terrorism: Effects of self- versus group-affirmation on support for discriminatory policies. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 421-428. Download PDF

Vincent-Ruz, P., Binning, K. R., Schunn, C. D. & Grabowski, J. (2018). The effect of math SAT on women's chemistry competency beliefs. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 19, 342-351. Download PDF

Goyer, J. P., Garcia, J., Purdie-Vaughns, V., Binning, K. R., Cook, J. E., Reeves, S. J., Apfel, N., Taborsky-Barba, S., Sherman, D. K., & Cohen, G. L. (2017). Self-affirmation facilitates minority middle schoolers' progress along college trajectories. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114, 7594-7599. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., Brick, C., Cohen, G. L., & Sherman, D. K. (2015). Going along versus getting it right: The role of self-integrity in political conformity. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 56, 73-88. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., & Sears, D. O. (2015). On the history of political diversity in social psychology (Commentary). Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 38, 18-19. Download PDF

Margolis, J., Goode, J., & Binning, K. R. (2015). Expanding the pipeline: Active learning for broadening participation in computing. Computing Research News, 27. Download PDF

Manke, K., & Binning, K. R. (2015). Mighty oaks from little (psychological) acorns grow. SPSP: Character and Context. Download PDF

Huo, Y. J., Binning, K. R., & Begeny, C. T. (2014). Respect and the viability of ethnically diverse institutions. In S. Otten, K. I. Van der Zee, and M. B. Brewer (Eds.), Towards inclusive organizations: Determinants of successful diversity management at work (pp. 49-66). Hove, UK: Psychology Press. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., & Unzueta, M. M. (2013). Perceiving ethnic diversity on campus: Group differences in attention to hierarchical representation. Social and Personality Psychology Science. DOI: 10.1177/1948550612459771 Download PDF

Sherman, D. K., Hartson, K. A., Binning, K. R., Purdie-Vaughns, V., Garcia, J., Taborsky-Barba, S., Tomassetti, S., Nussbaum, A. D., & Cohen, G. L. (2013). Deflecting the trajectory and changing the narrative: How self-affirmation affects academic performance and motivation under identity threat. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. DOI: 10.1037/a0031495 Download PDF

Binning, K. R., & Huo, Y. J. (2012). Understanding status as a social resource. In K. Tornblom and A. Kazemi (Eds.), Handbook of Social Resource Theory, (pp. 133-147). New York: Springer. Download PDF

Unzueta, M. M., & Binning, K. R. (2012). Diversity is in the eye of the beholder: How concern for the ingroup affects perceptions of organizational diversity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 26-38. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., & Sherman, D. K. (2011). Categorization and communication in the face of prejudice: When describing perceptions changes what is perceived. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 321-336. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., Sherman, D. K., Cohen, G. L., & Heitland, K. (2010). Seeing the other side: Reducing political partisanship via self-affirmation in the 2008 presidential election. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 10, 276-292. Download PDF

Huo, Y. J., Binning, K. R., & Molina, L. E. (2010). Testing an integrative model of respect: Implications for social engagement and well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 200-212. Download PDF

Huo, Y. J., Molina, L. E., Binning, K. R., Funge, S. (2010). Subgroup respect, social engagement, and well-being: A field study of an ethnically diverse high school. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16, 427-436. Download PDF

Unzueta, M. M., & Binning, K. R. (2010) Which racial groups are associated with diversity? Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16, 443-446. Download PDF

Huo, Y. J., Binning, K. R., & Molina, L. E. (2010). The interplay between fairness and the experience of respect: Implications for group life. In B. Mannix, M. Neale, & E. Mullen (Eds.), Research on Managing Groups and Teams: Fairness in Groups (Vol. 13; pp. 95-120.). Bingley, UK: Emerald. Download PDF

Binning, K. R., Unzueta, M. M., Huo, Y. J., & Molina, L. E. (2009). The interpretation of multiracial status and its relation to social engagement and psychological well-being. Journal of Social Issues, 65, 35-49. Download PDF

Huo, Y. J., & Binning, K. R. (2008). Why the psychological experience of respect matters in group life: An integrative account. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2, 1570-1585. Download PDF

Binning, K. R. (2007). "It's us against the world": How distrust in Americans versus people-in-general shapes competitive foreign policy preferences. Political Psychology, 28, 777-799. Download PDF