Date of Award
5-10-2026
Date Published
June 2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Advisor(s)
Leonard Newman
Subject Categories
Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Psychology
Abstract
Social psychology textbooks often express the hope that learning about the field’s findings will give students new insights into their behavior that they will then apply to their everyday experiences and interactions. This study tests the “enlightenment effect,” which suggests learning about a social psychological phenomenon could affect behavior. Specifically, I test enlightenment about pluralistic ignorance, a phenomenon that has been demonstrated to play a role in whether people will speak up in the face of injustice and discrimination (Sargent & Newman, 2021). I used a two-session design to evaluate whether a lesson on pluralistic ignorance (in comparison to a control) affects future behavior in an unknowingly related situation where there is the potential for pluralistic ignorance. I measured how confrontational the participants were in response to an anti-immigrant comment and what styles of confrontation participants most employed. I also explored participants’ explanations for their responses. My results were inconclusive. I did not find much support for my hypotheses in that the education about pluralistic ignorance did not affect overall levels of confrontation. I found that participants who confronted the anti-immigrant comment used an educational style of confrontation the most. Also, analyses revealed that activists who learned about pluralistic ignorance were more likely to confront than those in the control condition, however, these results were difficult to interpret given that non-activists in the enlightenment effect condition were less likely to confront. This research tests an unexplored intervention to overcome the effects of pluralistic ignorance and adds to the lack of empirical evidence for the enlightenment effect.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Walmer, Jenna, "“I Didn't Get That Vibe from Others”: Can Enlightenment about the Possibility of Pluralistic Ignorance Enable Confronting Prejudice?" (2026). Dissertations - ALL. 2281.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/2281
