Dr Kate REYNOLDS

PhD

On this page...

About Me
Research and Supervision Interests
Current Teaching
Research Students
Experience
Selected Publications
Outreach Activities

I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia. In 1991 and 1992 I worked full-time as a research assistant on an ARC-funded project entitled "Intergroup Relations and Group Cohesiveness" awarded to Michael Hogg.

In 1993, I moved to The Australian National University, Canberra to complete my PhD and graduated in April 1997. Between 1993 and 1995 as well as my PhD studies I worked part-time as a research assistant with Penny Oakes, John Turner and Alex Haslam on their ARC-funded project "Social Stereotyping and the Perception of Ingroup and Outgroup Homogeneity".

My PhD thesis was entitled "Beyond the information given: Capacity, context and the categorization process in impression formation". Two theoretical perspectives, social cognition and self-categorization theory, offer divergent explanations of the impression formation process and were the theoretical and empirical foci of the thesis. The research focused on three main issues: (a) the way in which variability in impression formation is explained; (b) the relative accuracy of individuated and stereotypic impressions, and (c) the role of the categorization process in impression formation. This work is explained further in Reynolds, K. J., & Oakes, P. J. (2000) Variability in impression formation: Investigating the role of motivation, capacity and the categorization process. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 355-373.

From 1997-2001 I was a post-doctoral researcher working with John Turner, Penelope Oakes, Alex Haslam and Craig McGarty on various ARC funded grants. In 2001 until the beginning of 2004 I was appointed as a Lecturer and then promoted to Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology with my main teaching responsibilities being co-ordination of PSYC1002 "Introduction to Organisational Psychology" and establishment of the postgraduate program in Applied Social and Organisational Psychology.

Since 2004 I have been in a full-time research position and in 2006 I was awarded a five-year Australian Research Fellowship funded fully by the Australian Research Council.

Current Grants

2003-2007 (A$728,000) From the inevitability of prejudice to the origins of social change: The emergence of perceived illegitimacy in intergroup relations.  Awarded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) to John Turner and Katherine Reynolds.

This project examines the social psychological processes that underpin the(il)legitimacy of intergroup relations, prejudice, and social stability and change. To date it is accepted that those who do not perceive a social system (community, culture, society) as politically and morally legitimate are more likely to reject the status quo and seek change. What has been missing is the crucial analysis of how and when perceived legitimacy is transformed into  illegitimacy. The project elaborates a novel and comprehensive approach to the illegitimacy question based on social identity and self-categorization theories and tests it through a major program of survey and laboratory-based research.

2006-2010 (A$670,000) Self-categorization and personal identity:  Integrating group and personality processes. Awarded by the ARC to Katherine Reynolds, John Turner, Ken Mavor and Nyla Branscombe.

Social psychology is a relatively fragmented discipline with most researchers tending to either focus on the individual and interpersonal relations or on the group and intergroup relations. Recent breakthroughs suggest that this divide is unsustainable. We believe that self-categorization theory (SCT) with its emphasis on both the individual and group levels of human experience offers a way forward.  Building on this approach and related work we elaborate and systematically investigate personal identity, individuality and the personal self and examine the interdependence between group and personality processes. The project offers the possibility of a more integrated understanding of the psychology of the person.

2008-2011 (A$420,000 cash & A$415,080 in-kind) Understanding the school as an intergroup system:  Implications for school reform and improving student and staff outcomes.  Awarded by the ARC Linkage Project scheme to Katherine Reynolds, Boris Bizumic, Emian Subasic, Kathy Melsom and Fiona MacGregor in partnership with the ACT Department of Education and Training.

The project which continues work started in 2007, has been funded for three years and seeks to improve school outcomes (learning, attendance, behaviour, psychological well-being) through a better understanding of group processes and the way different groups within the school can achieve their shared aims and goals.  The central idea is that one’s group memberships and associated norms and practices directly impact on the attitudes and behaviours of individual members.  The aim is to change the relevant groups within a school and how they relate in order to build a more positive school climate and higher school identification and as a result, improve school outcomes. Work to date shows that one's psychological identification to the school and groups within it, play an important role in the psychological well-being of both staff and students and students' behaviour in the classroom. The work will now be extended to include a total of four high schools in the ACT.

1. The social psychology of stereotyping and prejudice: This work explores issues at the heart of research into social categorization, social cognition and intergroup relations. More specifically it addresses topics such as the relationship between personality and prejudice (implicit and explicit), the conditions under which ingroup and outgroup favouritism will be evident in intergroup relations, and the emergence of system (il)legitimacy and processes of social change.

2. The relationship between self-categorization processes and personal identity: This area of research links social identity processes to interpersonal and individual processes. The aim is to explore a new way of thinking about personality that is based on the self-categorization analysis of the self and personal identity. The work has implications for understanding both the variability and stability of personality and how personality processes are intimately bound up with contemporary political and societal forces.  Through work with the ACT Department of Education and Training this work has been extended to issues of psychological well-being and learning outcomes.

3. The interface of social and organisational psychology: This work looks at the contribution of groups and group membership to issues such as leadership, power, motivation and productivity, communication, diversity management, organizational identification and subgroup/team relations.

2008     PSYC1005  Life issues:  Applying Psychology (1st Year) Who will lead and why? (3 Lectures and Lab)
2008     PSYC8003  Assessment and selection in Human Resource Management (Post-graduate) (Planning and co-ordination)

Past Teaching and Course Co-ordination Responsibilitites

2001-2003 PSYC1002 Introduction to Organisational Psychology (Course co-ordination and lecturer)

2002-2005 Establishment and co-ordination of postgraduate offerings in Applied Social and Organisational Psychology (involved responsibility for PSYC8001 Research Methods in Action; PSYC8002 The social psychology of organisations; PSYC8003 Best practice in Human Resource Management).

In 2006, on being awarded an Australian Research Fellowship my teaching load was reduced in line with increased research responsibilities.

Current Honours and Higher Degree Research Students

• Maree Brown (MPhil) - Thesis Title: Managing diversity in organizations.
• Yvonne Chow (Honours) – Thesis Title: Interpersonal comparison and variability in Big 5 personality
• Martin Copeland (PhD , with Al Klovdahl) - Thesis title: Influence, identity, and interpersonal networks in dynamic social systems.
• Ben Jones (Honours) – Thesis Title: Leadership, influence and the creation of prejudice. 
• Phill Krins (PhD) - Thesis Title: Group processes in space flight analogue environments.
• Nick Wallace (MPhil, with James Cullens) - Thesis Title: The Ethical Dimension of Leadership.
• Ruth Wright (PhD) - Thesis Title: The role of social identity processes in effective communication.

Past Higher Degree Research Students

• Ana-Maria Bliuc ( PhD , with Craig McGarty ) - Thesis Title: Opinion-based groups and political action.
• Emina Subasic (PhD) - Thesis Title: Political solidarity as a social change process:  Dynamics of self-categorization in intergroup power relations.
• Kris Veenstra ( PhD , with Alex Haslam ) - Thesis Title: The psychology of precarious employment : Security, Status and Social identification
• Susan Johnson (MPhil, with Don Byrne) - Thesis Title: Management by stress : The influence of social identification in empowered teams on occupational stress and performance.
• Rod Lamberts ( PhD , with Sue Stocklmayer ) - Thesis Title: Communication and influence in the development of lay beliefs about mental illness.

Professional Activities

• 2002 - present : Editorial Board of British Journal of Social Psychology
• 2002 - present : Editorial Board of European Journal of Social Psychology
• 2002 - present : Editorial Board of European Review of Social Psychology
• 2005 - present : Member of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology
• 1998 - present : Affiliate Member of European Association of Experimental Social Psychology
• 1995 - present : Member of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology
• 1995 - present : Member of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists

Books

Augoustinos, M., & Reynolds, K. J., (Eds.) (2001) Understanding Prejudice, Racism and Social Conflict. London, UK: Sage.

Chapters

Haslam, S.A., Ellemers, N., Reicher, S., Reynolds, K. J., & Schmitt, M. (in press). The social identity perspective:  An assessment of the impact and trajectory of its core ideas.  In T. Postmes & N. Branscombe (Eds), Rediscovering Social Identity: Core Sources. Psychology Press

Turner, J. C., Reynolds, K. J., & Subasic, E. (2008).  Identity confers power: The new view of leadership in social psychology.  P. ‘t Hart & J. Uhr (Eds),  Public Leadership: Perspectives and Practices (pp. 57-72). ANU E-press.

Turner, J.C., Reynolds, K. J., Haslam, S.A., Veenstra, K. E. (2006) Reconceptualizing personality: Producing individuality through defining the personal self (pp. 11-36). In T. Postmes & J. Jetten (Eds), Individuality and the Group: Advances in Social Identity.

Reynolds, K. J., Oakes, P. J, Haslam, S. A., Turner, J. C., & Ryan M. K. (2004). Social identity as the basis of group entitativity: Elaborating the case for the "science of social groups per se". In V. Yzerbyt, C. M., Judd & O. Corneille, (Eds), The psychology of group perception: Contributions to the study of homogeneity, entitativity, and essentialism. Bristol, PA: Psychology Press.

Reynolds, K. J., & Platow, M. J. (2003). On the social psychology of power and powerlessness: Social power as a symptom of organizational division. In S. A. Haslam, D. van Knippenberg, M. J. Platow & N. Ellemers (Eds), Social identity at work: Developing theory for organizational practice, (pp. 173-188). New York: Psychology Press.

Reynolds, K. J., Turner, J.C., & Haslam, S. A. (2003). Social identity and self-categorization theories' contribution to understanding identification, salience and diversity in teams and organizations. In M. A. Neale & E. A. Mannix (Series Eds) & J. Polzer (Vol. Ed.), Research on managing groups and teams: Vol. 5. Identity issues in groups (pp. 279-304). Oxford: Elsevier Science.

Eggins, R.A., Reynolds, K.J., & Haslam, S.A. (2003). Negotiating identities: The ASPIRe model of organizational change. In S. A. Haslam, D. van Knippenberg, N. Ellemers & M. Platow Social identity at work. Developing Theory for Organisational Practice. (pp. 241-257). New York and Hove: Psychology Press.

Haslam, S. A., Turner, J. C., Oakes, P. J., Reynolds, K. J.,& Doosje, B. (2002). From personal pictures in the head to collective tools in the world: How shared stereotypes allow groups to represent and manage social reality. In C. McGarty, V. Y. Yzerbyt & R. Spears (Eds), Stereotyping as explanations: The formation of meaningful beliefs about social groups. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Augoustinos. M., & Reynolds, K. J., (2001) Prejudice, Racism and Psychology. In M Augoustinos & K. J. Reynolds (Eds), Understanding Prejudice, Racism, and Social Conflict. London, UK: Sage.

Reynolds, K. J., & Turner. J. C. (2001) Prejudice as a group process: The role of social identity. In M Augoustinos & K. J. Reynolds (Eds), Understanding Prejudice, Racism, and Social Conflict. London, UK: Sage.

Turner, J. C. & Reynolds, K. J. (2001) The social identity perspective in intergroup relations: Theories, themes and controversies. In R. Brown & S. Gaertner (Eds), Handbook of social psychology: Vol 4: Intergroup processes (pp. 133-152). Oxford, UK and Cambridge, USA: Blackwell.

Reynolds, K. J., & Oakes, P. J. (1999) Understanding the impression formation process: A self-categorization theory perspective. In T. Sugiman, M. Karasawa, J. Lui, & C. Ward (Eds), Progress in Asian social psychology Theoretical and empirical contributions. (Vol. 2, pp. 213-235). Seoul, Korea: Kyoyook-Kwahak-Sa Publishing Company.

Oakes, P. J., Reynolds, K. J., Haslam, S. A. & Turner, J. C. (1999) Part of life's rich tapestry: Stereotyping and the politics of intergroup relations. In S Thye, E. J. Lawler, M. W. Macy, & H. A Walker (Eds), Advances in group processes. (Vol. 16, pp. 125-160) .Stamford, Connecticut: JAI Press.

Oakes, P. J., Haslam, S. A. & Reynolds, K. J. (1999). Social categorization and social context: Is stereotype change a matter of information or meaning? In D. Abrams & M. Hogg (Eds.), Social identity and social cognition. Oxford, UK & Cambridge, USA: Blackwell.

Oakes, P. J., & Reynolds, K. J. (1997) Asking the accuracy question: Is measurement the answer? In R. Spears, P. J. Oakes, N. Ellemers & S. A. Haslam (Eds), The social psychology of stereotyping and group life. Oxford, UK and Cambridge, USA: Blackwell

Journal Articles

Reynolds, K. J., Eggins, R. A., & Haslam, S. A. Uncovering diverse identities in organizations: AIRing versus auditing. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources. Accepted subject to revisions.

Bizumic, B., Reynolds, K. J., Turner, J. C., Bromhead, D. & Subasic, E.  (in press).  The role of the group in individual functioning:  School identification and the psychological well-being of staff and students.  Applied Psychology: An International Review. (Special issue on social identity, health and well-being).

Subasic, E., & Reynolds, K. J. (in press) Beyond the politics of practical reconciliation.  Political Psychology. (Special issue on reconciliation issues)

Subasic, E., Reynolds, K. J., & Turner, J. C. (2008) The political solidarity model of social change: Dynamics of self-categorization in intergroup power relations.  Personality and Social Psychology Review, 12, 330-352.

Copeland, M. P., Reynolds, K. J., & Burton, J.  (2008). Social identity, status characteristics and social networks: Predictors of advice-seeking in a manufacturing facility. Asian Journal of Social Psychology  (Special issue on social network models).

Eggins, R. A., O’Brien, A. T., Reynolds, K. J., Haslam, S.A, & Crocker, A. S. (2008).  Refocusing the focus group:  AIRing as a basis for effective workplace planning.  British Journal of Management, 19, 277-293.

Bliuc, A-M,, McGarty, C., Reynolds, K. J., & Hendres, D. (2007) Opinion-based group membership as a predictor of support for political action.  European Journal of Social Psychology, 37, 19-32.

Eggins, R.A., Reynolds, K. J., Oakes, P. J., & Mavor, K. I. (2007) Citizen participation in a deliberative poll:  Factors predicting attitude change and political engagement. Australian Journal of Psychology, 59:2, 94-100.

Reynolds, K.J., Turner, J.C., Haslam, S.A., Ryan, M. K., Bizumic, B. & Subasic, E. (2007).  Does personality explain ingroup identification and discrimination? Evidence form the minimal group paradigm.  British Journal of Social Psychology, 46, 517-539.

Reynolds, K. J., & Turner, J. C. (2006) Individuality and the prejudiced personality.  European Review of Social Psychology, 17, 233-270.

Veenstra, K., Haslam, S. A. & Reynolds, K. J. (2004). The psychology of casualisation: Evidence for the mediating roles of security, status and social identification. British Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 499-514.

Ryan, M.K., David, B., & Reynolds, K.J. (2004) Who cares?: The effect of context on self-concept and moral reasoning. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28, 246-255.

O'Brien, A. T., Haslam, S.A., Jetten, J., Humphrey, L., O'Sullivan, L., Postmes, T., Eggins, R. A., & Reynolds, K. J., (2004) Cynicism and disengagement among devalued employee groups: The need to ASPIRe. Career Development International, 28-44. (Special issue edited by Olympia Kyriakidou and Mustafa Ozbilgin).

Turner, J. C. & Reynolds, K. J., (2003). Why social dominance theory has been falsified. British Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 199-206.

Haslam, S.A., Eggins, R.A., & Reynolds, K. J. (2003) The ASPIRe model: Actualizing Social and Personal Identity Resources to enhance organizational outcomes. Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, 76, 83-113.

Eggins, R.A., Haslam, S.A. & Reynolds, K.J. (2002) Social identity and negotiation: Subgroup representation and superordinate consensus. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 887-899.

Reynolds, K. J., Turner, J. C., Haslam, S. A. & Ryan, M. K. (2001). The role of personality and group factors in explaining prejudice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 37, 427-434.

Haslam, S. A., Platow, M. Turner, J. C., Reynolds, K. J., McGarty, C., Oakes, P. J., Johnson, S., Ryan, M. K., & Veenstra, K. (2001) Social identity and the romance of leadership: The importance of being seen to be 'doing it for us'. Group processes and intergroup relations, 4, 191-205.

Reynolds, K. J, Oakes, P. J., Haslam, S. A., Nolan, M. A., & Dolnik, L. (2000) Responses to powerlessness: Stereotypes as an instrument of social conflict. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4, 275-290.

Reynolds, K. J., Turner, J. C., & Haslam, S. A. (2000) When are we better than them and they worse than us? A closer look at social discrimination in positive and negative domains. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 64-80.

Reynolds, K. J., & Oakes, P. J. (2000) Variability in impression formation: Investigating the role of motivation, capacity and the categorization process. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 355-373.

Haslam, S. A., Oakes, P. J., Reynolds, K. J. & Mein, J. (1999) Rhetorical unity and social division: A longitudinal study of change in Australian self-stereotypes. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2, 265-280.

Haslam, S. A., Oakes, P. J., Reynolds, K. J. & Turner, J. C. (1999) Social identity salience and the emergence of stereotype consensus. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 809-818.

Haslam, S. A., McGarty, C., Brown, P. M., Eggins, R. A., Morrison, B. E. & Reynolds, K. J. (1998) Inspecting the emperor's clothes: Evidence that random selection of leaders can enhance group performance. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice, 2, 168-184.

Haslam, S. A., Turner, J. C., Oakes, P. J., Reynolds, K. J., Eggins, R. A., Nolan, M. & Tweedie, J. (1998) When do stereotypes become really consensual? Investigating the group-based dynamics of the consensualization process. European Journal of Social Psychology, 28, 755-776.

Haslam, S. A., Oakes, P. J., McGarty, C., Turner, J. C., Reynolds, K. J. & Eggins, R. A. (1996). Stereotyping and social influence: The mediation of stereotype applicability and sharedness by the views of ingroup and outgroup members. British Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 369-397.

Hogg, M. A., Hardie, E. A., & Reynolds, K. J. (1995). Prototypical similarity, self-categorization, and depersonalized attraction: A perspective on group cohesiveness. European Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 159-177.

There have been many opportunities to discuss our research work with others including the media.  Outlets that have included such expert comment include The Financial Review & Boss Magazine, The Australian, The Canberra Times, ABC Radio, 5AA Adelaide, and ABC Sunday Spectrum.  A few notable examples of such outreach activities can be found below.

From 2003 onwards there has been much media interest in work on group processes in extreme environments.  Details of this work are summarised at the following links;

• The Mars Society.
  
• Battling personality in Outer Space. ANU Media Release.

August, 5, 2001 –  ABC TV Program Sunday Spectrum I was as an expert panelist on the topic "Heroism, Leadership and Celebrity" along with the host Paul Collins and other guest panelists – Michael McKernen, Natasha Stott-Despoja and Jack Waterford. A transcript of this program can be found at www.abc.net.au/sundayspectrum/s339532.htm

April, 13, 2003 –  ABC TV Program Sunday Spectrum I was an expert panelist on the topic of "Power"  along with host Paul Collins and other guest panelists – Bruce Baird, Bishop George Browning and Jonar Nader. A transcript of this program can be found at www.abc.net.au/sundayspectrum/s793095.htm

Also a number of workshops have been held to disseminate our research work to different audiences.  For examples see the following links

Changing Environment-related Attitudes and Behaviour: (2008):  billboard.anu.edu.au/event_view.asp

Personality and Political Attitudes (2007):  http://psychology.anu.edu.au/_discover/discover.asp?discoverID=24

The Dynamics of Social Change (2004):   http://psychology.anu.edu.au/_discover/discover.asp?discoverID=9