Nils Karl Reimer

Research Interests

Bridging divides: Can intergroup contact foster more fluid and inclusive conceptions of social identity?

I study whether intergroup contact can not only change how we see others but also how we see ourselves – in particular, our group memberships and social identities. In a series of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, I try to answer questions such as: Can positive contact with sexual minorities lead heterosexual people to see their own sexuality as more flexible and continuous? Can contact with transgender people promote greater acceptance of and understanding for non-binary gender identities? Can contact with ethno-religious minorities make national identities more inclusive?

I have also studied how negative contact relates to minority and majority group members' engagement in collective action (see Reimer et al., in press or here). In the past, I worked with Professor Harm Hospers and Professor Gerjo Kok, testing the influence of genetic evidence on beliefs about and attitudes toward same-sex sexuality. With Dr Melanie Sauerland and Jenny Schell, I studied choice blindness and ingroup bias in the realm of suspect interrogations. I currently work under the supervision of Professor Miles Hewstone and Dr Katharina Schmid.

Biography

2014 - 2017

DPhil in Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford

2013 - 2014

MSc in Psychological Research, University of Oxford

Fall 2012

Visiting Student, University of California, Berkeley

2010 - 2013

BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences (Social Sciences), University College Maastricht

Read more

Reimer et al. (in press). Intergroup contact and social change: Implications of negative and positive contact for collective action in advantaged and disadvantaged groups. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. (preprint, data, analyses, and figures)

"Does intergroup contact hinder social change?" (Medium, September 2016)

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