Research groups
Colleges
Ralf Wölfer
PhD
Senior Research Associate
Research summary
My research combines social and developmental psychology, driven by the motivation to gain a better understanding how social relationships form behaviour and vice versa. In particular, I am interested in examining the social dimension of aggressive behaviour, including ostracism, bullying, and intergroup conflict.
For this purpose, I use a combination of different methodological approaches with a special emphasis on social network analysis.
Biography
I studied psychology at the Freie Universität Berlin (2003-2008), followed by a PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin (2008-2011). Afterwards, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Berlin (2011-2013) and Oxford (2013-2017) including a Junior Research Fellowship at New College (2015-2017), before I started my Associate Professorship at Jesus College.
Key publications
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Indirect contact predicts direct contact: Longitudinal evidence and the mediating role of intergroup anxiety.
Journal article
Wölfer R. et al, (2019), J Pers Soc Psychol, 116, 277 - 295
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Developmental Dynamics of Intergroup Contact and Intergroup Attitudes: Long-Term Effects in Adolescence and Early Adulthood.
Journal article
Wölfer R. et al, (2016), Child Dev, 87, 1466 - 1478
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Intra- Versus Intersex Aggression: Testing Theories of Sex Differences Using Aggression Networks.
Journal article
Wölfer R. and Hewstone M., (2015), Psychol Sci, 26, 1285 - 1294
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Social Network Analysis in the Science of Groups: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Applications for Studying Intra- and Intergroup Behavior.
Journal article
Wölfer R. et al, (2015), Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice
Recent publications
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Academic benefit of outgroup contact for immigrant and nonimmigrant students
Journal article
Wölfer R. et al, (2019), Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 22, 419 - 433
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Indirect contact predicts direct contact: Longitudinal evidence and the mediating role of intergroup anxiety.
Journal article
Wölfer R. et al, (2019), J Pers Soc Psychol, 116, 277 - 295
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What Is Going on Around You: Peer Milieus and Educational Aspirations
Journal article
Raabe IJ. and Wölfer R., (2019), European Sociological Review
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Contact Capacity and Its Effect on Intergroup Relations
Journal article
Pfister M. et al, (2019), Social Psychological and Personality Science
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Integrating Northern Ireland: Cross-group friendships in integrated and mixed schools
Journal article
Blaylock D. et al, (2018), British Educational Research Journal, 44, 643 - 662
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What buffers ethnic homophily? Explaining the development of outgroup contact in adolescence.
Journal article
Wölfer R. and Hewstone M., (2018), Dev Psychol, 54, 1507 - 1518