McNair Scholar 2022 - Caitlyn Barrett
Caitlyn Barrett is a senior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, double majoring in political science and psychology. Her research interests include attitude formation, public opinion, and pre-adult political socialization. After graduating, she plans on obtaining her Ph.D. in Political Science.
Quote from Caitlyn Barrett
"My dream is to be a researcher in the field of political science after receiving a Ph.D. in political science. I want to be involved in efforts to understand how youth formulate their political opinions to encourage prejudice reduction and political engagement."
Research project
Measure and Mismeasure of Values by Race
Abstract: In recent years there has been an uptick in research examining values. Social psychology and political science have built two different value frameworks, Basic Human Values (BHV) and Core Political Values (CPV) respectively. In this paper, we will present evidence that BHV is preferable to CPV on conceptual and methodological grounds. We will use two datasets that are weighted to be representative of the American population. Results support our hypothesis that CPV does not measure the values of Black and Hispanic respondents as well as it does for white respondents. Future research should include BHV on American samples and replicate the study on excluded demographics.
Faculty mentor
Paul Goren is a professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with an affiliation with the Center for the Study of Political Psychology. Dr. Goren attended the University of Pittsburgh for his Ph.D. in Political Science in 1998. His research specializes on the relationship between basic human values, public opinion, and symbolic ideology, how opinion on moral issues shape partisan and religious predispositions over time, and finally how welfare opinions reinforce racial prejudice. This year is Dr. Goren's first year as a McNair faculty mentor.