Sonia Kang is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Mississauga, and holds a cross-appointment to the Organizational Behaviour and HR Management area at Rotman. She is also a Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion and University of Toronto Mississauga’s Special Advisor on Anti-Racism and Equity. Her research explores the challenges and opportunities of diversity, including strategies for mitigating the far-reaching effects of stigma and harnessing the power of diversity for society and organizations alike. Sonia’s research has been published in journals including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science, Administrative Science Quarterly, and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and has been featured in media outlets such as The Globe and Mail and The Atlantic.
Academic Positions
Fellow; Behavioural Economics in Action at Rotman (BEAR)
2016 – Present
Faculty Research Fellow; Rotman Institute for Gender & the Economy
2016 – Present
Acting PhD Coordinator; OBHRM, Graduate Department of Management, University of Toronto
July-December 2016
Postdoctoral Fellow; Northwestern University
2010-2011
Associate Professor; University of Toronto
present
Selected Publications – Papers
Mechanisms of identity conflict: Uncertainty, anxiety, and the behavioral inhibition system; Hirsh, J.B., & Kang, S.K.; Personality and Social Psychology Review; Issue: 20; 2016; Pages: 223-244.
Interpreting equality rights under Sections 7 and 15 in new and old ways: An empirical analysis of the concurrent claims approach; Kang, K.K., & Kang, S.K.; National Journal of Constitutional Law; Issue: 35; 2016; Pages: 235-268.
Whitened resumes: Race and self-presentation in the labor market; Kang, S.K., DeCelles, K.A., Tilcsik, A., & Jun, S.; Administrative Science Quarterly; Issue: 61; 2016; Pages: 469-502.
The unintended consequences of diversity statements.; Kang, S.K., DeCelles, K.A., Tilcsik, A., & Jun, S.; Harvard Business Review.; 2016; Pages:
Multiple Identities in Social Perception and Interaction: Challenges and Opportunities.; Kang, S.K., & Bodenhausen, G.V.B.; Annual Review of Psychology; Issue: 66; 2015; Pages: 547-574.
Power Affects Performance When the Pressure is On: Evidence for Low-Power Threat and High-Power Lift; Kang, S.K., Galinsky, A.D., Kray, L.J., & Shirako, A.; Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin; Issue: 41; 2015; Pages: 726-735.
Folk beliefs about genetic variation predict avoidance of biracial individuals; Kang, S.K., Plaks, J.E., & Remedios, J.R.; Frontiers in Psychology: Personality and Social Psychology,; Issue: 6; 2015; Pages: 357.
Stereotype threat spillover: Why stereotype threat is more useful for organizations than it seems.; Kang, S. K, & Inzlicht, M.; Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice; Issue: 7; 2014; Pages: 452-456.
Comparing young and older adults’ perceptions of conflicting stereotypes and multiply-categorizable individuals.; Kang, S.K., Chasteen, A.L., Cadieux, J., Cary, L.A., & Syeda, M.; Psychology and Aging; Issue: 29; 2014; Pages: 469-481.
Stigma Building Blocks: How instruction and experience teach children about rejection by out-groups; Kang, S.K., & Inzlicht, M.; Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin; Issue: 38; 2012; Pages: 357-369.
Personalized Persuasion: Tailoring Persuasive Appeals to Recipient Personality Traits; Hirsh, J. B., Kang, S. K., & Bodenhausen, G. V.; Psychological Science; Issue: 23; 2012; Pages: 578-581.
Research-based advice on teaching children not to be racist; Kang, S.K., & Apfelbaum, E.P.; The Atlantic; 2012; Pages: Available at The Atlantic online April 12, 2012.
Facing social identity change: Interactive effects of current and projected collective identification on expectations regarding future self-esteem and psychological well-being; Packer, D., Chasteen, A.L., & Kang, S.K.; British Journal of Social Psychology; Issue: 50; 2011; Pages: 414-430.
Lingering effects: Stereotype threat hurts more than you think; Inzlicht, M., Tullet, A.M., Legault, L., & Kang, S.K.; Social Issues and Policy Review; Issue: 5; 2011; Pages: 227-256.
Stereotype threat spillover: How threats to social identity affect eating, decision-making, and aggression,; Inzlicht, M., & Kang, S.K.; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology; Issue: 99; 2010; Pages: 467-482.
Social Neuroscience and Public Policy on Intergroup Relations: A Hegelian Analysis; Kang, S.K., Inzlicht, M, & Derks, B.; Journal of Social Issues; Issue: 66; 2010; Pages: 585-601.
Your mistakes are mine: Self-other overlap predicts neural response to observed errors; Kang, S.K., Hirsh, J.B., & Chasteen, A.L.; Journal of Experimental Social Psychology; Issue: 46; 2010; Pages: 229-232.
Beyond the double-jeopardy hypothesis: Assessing emotion on the faces of multiply categorizable targets of prejudice; Kang, S.K., & Chasteen, A.L.; Journal of Experimental Social Psychology; Issue: 45; 2009; Pages: 1281-1285.
The moderating role of age-group identification and perceived threat on stereotype threat among older adults; Kang, S.K., & Chasteen, A.L.; International Journal of Aging and Human Development; Issue: 69; 2009; Pages: 201-220.
The development and validation of the age-based rejection sensitivity questionnaire (RSQ-Age); Kang, S.K., & Chasteen, A.L.; The Gerontologist; Issue: 49; 2009; Pages: 303-316.
The neuroscience of stigma and stereotype threat; Derks, B., Inzlicht, M., & Kang, S.K.; Group Processes and Intergroup Relations; Issue: 11; 2008; Pages: 163-181.
From ignorance to intolerance: Perceived intentionality of racial discrimination shapes preferences for colorblindness versus multiculturalism.; Apfelbaum, E.P., Grunberg, R., Halevy, N., & Kang, S.K.; Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, in press.
Selected Publications – Books and Chapters
Social categorization and perceptions of social groups; Bodenhausen, G.V., Kang, S.K., & Peery, D.; In S.T. Fiske & C.N. Macrae (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Social Cognition.; Issue: Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.; 2012; Pages: 318-336.
Aging and stereotype threat: Development, Process, and Interventions; Chasteen, A.L., Kang, S.K., & Remedios, J.D.; In M. Inzlicht & T. Schmader (Eds.), Stereotype Threat: Theory, Process, and Application. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.; 2011; Pages: 202-216.
Honors and Awards
Connaught New Researcher Award; University of Toronto
2015
Insight Development Grant; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
2013-2016
Postdoctoral Fellowship; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
2010-2012
Ken Dion Award for Most Outstanding Graduate Student in Social/Personality Psychology; University of Toronto
2010
Sir James Lougheed Award of Distinction; Government of Alberta
2009-2010
Doctoral Award; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
2006-2010
Master’s Award; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
2005‐2006
Research and Teaching Interests