Kris Vasquez, PhD

Psychology

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Prejudice (including racism, sexism, homophobia and weight prejudice)
• Implicit bias
• Destructive obedience (“just following orders”)
• Pro-social behavior (when and why people help others and why they don’t when they should)
• Behavioral economics (how natural human biases complicate economic models)
• Morality and moral dissonance
• Social identity and social exclusion
• Bullying
• Mob violence
• School violence
• Body image and self-esteem

BIOGRAPHY

Kris Vasquez is a professor of Psychology at Alverno College, and chair of the Psychology department. Vasquez has written numerous texts on topics ranging from racism to how emotional ties affect a person’s ability to meet the challenges of work and family responsibilities. She has given presentations on topics such as prejudice, body image, and critical thinking in numerous venues across the United States. She has been invited to speak to the executives of international corporations on the subject of behavioral economics, in order to allow them use psychological principles to increase the accuracy of their strategic plans. Her most recent work focuses on how people who commit prejudiced actions justify those actions to themselves to avoid thinking of themselves as prejudiced people. As a partner in an interracial marriage and a parent of three biracial children, Vasquez has witnessed the challenges facing people of color in today’s highly-charged racial climate. She draws upon her family's experiences as well as her academic training when teaching about the damage that prejudice in all its forms can do. She has also done some consulting with the Credit Union National Association on implicit bias. This work helps them provide training to their thousands of member credit unions on how to decrease bias toward employees and customers.

Vasquez is a member of the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. She is a former Chair of the Developing a Global Perspective department at Alverno and the former Research Director for the Alverno College Research Center for Women and Girls. In her role as Research Director, Vasquez played a large part in putting together the Research Center for Women and Girls’ “Bullying: A Prevention Toolkit.” A lifelong martial artist, Vasquez also spends her Saturdays teaching practical self-defense to young children, some of whom have used those techniques to fend off bullies’ attacks.

She has appeared on 12 News, 4th Street Forum, The Morning Blend and on AM620.