Samantha Moore-Berg, Ph.D.

Research Interests

In my research program, I focus on isolating the mechanisms that contribute to intergroup conflict and understanding the psychological barriers that make people resistant to attitude and behavior change. I then develop theory-driven interventions that have real world impact and identify the underlying mechanisms of established interventions currently used to fight intergroup conflict and systemic inequality.

I conduct this research across the globe by assessing and intervening on conflict rooted in political polarization (i.e., in the U.S. between Democrats and Republicans), religious differences (i.e., in Israel between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians; in Nigeria between Christians and Muslims; in the U.S. between Muslims and non-Muslims), racial discrimination (i.e., in South Africa between White, Coloured and Black Africans; in the U.S. between White and non-White Americans), and immigration status (i.e., in the U.S. between citizen and immigrant populations).

To conduct this work, I often collaborate with experts in both academia as well as practitioners, non-profit organizations, artists, and filmmakers to tailor her research to the needs of communities that are most affected by intergroup conflict. Further, I take a policy-oriented approach to my research by working with policymakers to incorporate my research into actionable policy outcomes.

Opportunities For Students

I will be reviewing Ph.D. applications to begin in Fall 2024.

If you are interested in identifying the social psychological drivers of real-world social conflict, injustice and inequality, and/or affecting change in intergroup contexts, please consider applying.

If you are interested in joining our lab as an undergraduate researcher or postdoctoral fellow, please feel free to contact me directly at Samantha.mooreberg@psych.utah.edu.

Education

Ph.D., Temple University
B.A., Florida State University

Selected Publications

*denotes equal authorship

Hameiri, B.* & Moore-Berg, S.L.* (2022). Intervention Tournaments: An Overview of Concept, Design, and Implementation. Perspectives on Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211058090

Moore-Berg, S.L., Bernstein, K.,* Gallardo, R.,* Hameiri, B.,* Littman, R.,* O’Neil, S.,* & Pasek, M.H.,* (2022). Translating science for peace: Benefits, challenges, and recommendations for conducting translational research. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology.https://doi.org/10.1037/pac0000604

Moore-Berg, S.L., Hameiri, B., & Bruneau, E.G. (2021). Empathy, dehumanization, and misperceptions: A media intervention humanizes migrants and increases empathy for their plight, but only if misinformation about migrants is also corrected. Social Psychological and Personality Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506211012793

Moore-Berg, S.L., Ankori-Karlinsky, L., Hameiri, B., & Bruneau, E.G. (2020). Exaggerated meta-perceptions predict intergroup hostility between American political partisans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2001263117

Bruneau, E., Hameiri, B., Moore-Berg, S.L., & Kteily, N. (2020). Intergroup contact reduces dehumanization and meta-dehumanization: Cross-sectional, longitudinal and experimental evidence from 17 samples in 5 countries. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220949004