Laurie O'Brien, Ph.D.

Professor

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, School of Science and Engineering
(504) 862-3320
School of Science & Engineering
CV
Laurie O'Brien

Student Recruitment for 2027-2028:

Dr. O'Brien is currently accepting graduate students for the 2027-2028 application cycle.

Education & Affiliations

Ph.D., 2002, University of Kansas

Courses

Introduction to Social Psychology: PSYC 3430
Psychology of Diversity: PSYC 3470
Social Stigma: PSYC 6620
Social Psychology: PSYC 7000

Research

As an experimental social psychologist, I am interested in issues related to prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, and stigma. Two questions central to my research are: (1) How do people from high status and low status groups make judgments about what constitutes prejudice? (2) What are the consequences of perceiving prejudice and discrimination for people from both high and low status groups?

Selected Publications

O’Brien, L.T., Casteigne, M., Bivins-Sanchez, Y., Lowe, C., & Wilson, J. (2026). Understanding the impact of beneficiary group on attributions to discrimination against Black victims in a multiracial context. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 123, 104866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2025.104866

O’Brien, L.T., Casteigne, M., Bivins-Sanchez, Y., & Waldon-Lee, T. (2025). The prototype model of attributions to discrimination. In T. Nelson (Ed.) Advances in Prejudice Research, 1, 143 - 181. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003528043

Kulibert, D., Moss, A.J., Appleby, J., & O’Brien, L.T. (2025). Perceptions of political deviants in the U.S. Democrat and Republican Parties. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 55, 87-102. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.13079

O’Brien, L.T., Musumeci, M., Lowe, C., Waldon-Lee, T., & Simon, S. (2024). Attributions to discrimination in a multiracial context: Isolating the effect of victim race. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(11), 2751-2770. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001475

Moss, A. J., Budd, R., Blanchard, M. A., & O’Brien, L. T. (2023). The upside of acknowledging prejudiced behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 104, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104401 

O’Brien, L.T., & Merritt, S. (2022). Attributions to discrimination against Black victims in a multiracial society: Isolating the effect of perpetrator group membership. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 48(1), 120-134. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220988372  

For a complete list of publications, see https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=V11MNhgAAAAJ&hl=en