Dr Rose Meleady joined the School of Psychology in 2013. She previously obtained a PhD in Psychology from the University of Kent. At the same institution Rose also completed a Masters degree in Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, and a BSc degree in Psychology. She is a Social Psychologist with a specific focus on prejudice and intergroup relations. Her research has been funded by grants from the ESRC, Leverhulme Trust and Innovate UK, as well as commercial bodies. She has experience promoting social psychological research to non-academic audiences and has served as an expert panellist at events organized by the UK Parliament and UNESCO. She is an associate editor of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations and an editorial board member at the Journal of Theorectical Social Psychology. 

Indicative Publications

Hodson, G., & Meleady, R. (2023). Replicating and extending Sengupta et al. 2023. Contact predicts no within-person longitudinal outgroup-bias change. American Psychologist, 79, 451-462. doi: 10.1037/amp0001210. 

Meleady, R., Crisp, R.J., Dhont. K., Hopthrow, T. & Turner, R. (2020). Intergroup contact, social dominance, and environmental concern: A test of the cognitive liberalization hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 118, 1146-1164.

Meleady, R., Crisp, R.J., Hodson, G., & Earle, M. (2019). On the generalization of intergroup contact: A taxonomy of transfer effects. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28, 430-435.

Hodson, G., Crisp, R.J., Meleady., R & Earle, M. (2018). Intergroup contact as an agent of cognitive liberalization. Perspectives in Psychological Science, 13, 523-548.

My research interests are centred around group processes and intergroup relations. My work explores how people’s thought processes, perceptions of others, and behaviours are affected by their membership in social groups/ categories, and how this knowledge can be translated into effective behaviour change interventions to improve social outcomes. The bulk of my work has focused on the promotion of positive intergroup relations and prejudice reduction, with a particular focus on intergroup contact. Another strand of my research looks at how we can use group-based social influence to encourage more pro-environmental conduct.

Course Director MSc Social and Applied Psychology

Year 3: Social Perception and Behaviour: From Individuals to Relationships to Groups

Third Year Project Supervision

Masters: Social Psychology Theory and Methods

Social psychology, intergroup relations, prejudice, group processes, attitudes and behaviour change.