

Tessa V. West
- Media Contact
- SPN Mentor
My work focuses on the dynamics of interpersonal and intergroup relations. I adopt dyadic and group-level approaches to studying intergroup interactions within laboratory and naturalistic settings. Within interracial interactions, I examine how social inferences are formed, the extent to which they are grounded in reality, and how they can be changed to improve intergroup relations. I also study the basic processes of accuracy and bias in person perception.
In collaboration with David Kenny, I was award the SPSP Theoretical Innovation Prize. I have also been awarded the SPSSI Louis Kidder early career award for my research on intergroup relations.
Primary Interests:
- Group Processes
- Intergroup Relations
- Interpersonal Processes
- Person Perception
- Prejudice and Stereotyping
Research Group or Laboratory:
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Video Gallery
Breaking Down Bad Bosses in Films and TV
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19:44 Breaking Down Bad Bosses in Films and TV
Length: 19:44
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40:14 "Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them" Discussion
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4:29 Tips on Dealing With Problematic Coworkers
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1:04:50 How to Beat the 7 Types of Workplace Jerks
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1:59 The 7 Types of Jerks at Work
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2:38 Co-Workers Driving You Crazy? Here's How to Deal
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31:26 How to Deal With Jerks at Work
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29:53 "Jerks at Work"
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18:53 Read "Jerks At Work" Interview
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1:06:30 Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them
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12:35 Managing Difficult Situations at Work
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21:16 Dealing With Jerks at Work
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47:56 How Can Companies Improve Wellbeing Without Reducing Workload?
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41:53 How to Handle the 7 Types of Jerks at Work
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46:55 "Jerks at Work" Discussion
Length: 46:55
Journal Articles:
- Kenny, D. A., & West, T. V. (2010). Similarity and agreement in self and other perception: A meta-analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review.
- Kenny, D. A., West, T. V., Cillessen, A. H. N., Coie, J. D., Dodge, K. A., Hubbard, J. A., & Schwartz, D. (2007). Accuracy in the judgment of aggressiveness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 1225-1236.
- Kenny, D. A., West, T. V., Malloy, T., & Albright, L. (2006). Componential analysis of interpersonal perception data. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10, 282-294.
- Pearson, A.R., West, T.V., Dovidio, J.F., Powers, S., Buck, R., & Henning, R. (2008). The fragility of intergroup relations: Divergent effects of delayed audio-visual feedback in intergroup and intragroup interactions. Psychological Science, 19, 1272-1279.
- Penner, L. A., Dovidio, J. F., West, T. V., Gaertner, S. L., Albrecht, T. L., Dailey, R. K., & Markova, T. (2010). Aversive racism and medical interactions with black patients: A field study. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 46, 436-440.
- Shelton, J. N., West, T. V., & Trail, T. E. (2010). Concerns with appearing prejudiced: Implications for anxiety during daily interracial interactions. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 13, 329-344.
- Trail, T. E., Shelton, J. N., & West, T. V. (2009). Interracial roommate relationships: Negotiating daily interactions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 671-684.
- West, T. V. (2011). Interpersonal perception in cross-group interactions: Challenges and potential solutions. European Review of Social Psychology, 22, 364-401.
- West, T. V., Heilman, M. E., Gullet, L., Moss-Racusin, C., A., & Magee, J. C. (2012). Building blocks of bias: Gender composition predicts male and female group members' evaluations of each other and the group. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 1209-1212.
- West, T. V., & Kenny, D. A. (2011). The truth and bias model of judgment (T&B). Psychological Review, 118, 357-378.
- West, T. V., Pearson, A. R., Dovidio, J. F., Shelton, J. N., & Trail. T. E. (2009). Superordinate identity and intergroup roommate friendship development. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 1266-1272.
- West, T. V., Popp, D., Kenny, D. A. (2008). A guide for the estimation of gender and sexual orientation effects in dyadic data: An actor-partner interdependence model approach. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 321-336.
- West, T. V., Shelton, J. N., & Trail, T. E. (2009). Relational anxiety in interracial interactions. Psychological Science, 20, 289-292.
Other Publications:
- West, T. V. (in press). Repeated-measure methods with dyads. To appear in J. A. Simpson & L. Campbell (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of close relationships. New York: Oxford University Press.
- West, T. V., & Dovidio, J. F. (in press). Intergroup contact across time: Beyond initial contact. In G. Hodson & M. Hewstone (Eds.), Advances in intergroup contact. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Courses Taught:
- Close Relationships
- Person Perception in Dyads and Groups
- Social Psychology
- Structural Equation Modeling
Tessa V. West
Department of Social Psychology
New York University
6 Washington Place
New York, New York 10003
United States of America
- Work: (212) 998-7811
- Mobile: (860) 367-5283
- Fax: (212) 995-4981
- Skype Name: tessa.west