Samuel Sommers

For the racing driver, see Sam Sommers.
Samuel R. Sommers
Born1975 or 1976
New York City, U.S.
Died (aged 49)
Alma materWilliams College (B.A., 1997), University of Michigan (M.A., 1999; Ph.D., 2002)[1]
Known forWork on racial stereotyping and racial prejudice
AwardsFellow of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues since 2011, 2008 Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Excellence from the American Psychology-Law Society
Scientific career
FieldsSocial psychology
InstitutionsTufts University
ThesisRace and juries: The effects of race-salience and racial composition on individual and group decision-making (2002)
Websitesamsommers.com

Samuel R. Sommers (1975 or 1976 – March 16, 2025) was an American social psychologist and professor of psychology at Tufts University.[2] He was known for his research on implicit racial stereotyping and color-blind racism.[3][4] For example, he published multiple studies on the effects of increased racial diversity in mock juries.[5][6] With Michael Norton, he also published a study in 2011 showing that, on average, white people think more racism against them exists than exists against black people.[7] L. Jon Wertheim and Sommers wrote the book This Is Your Brain on Sports: The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon to explore how psychological and neuroscience principles explain many phenomena in sports (Sports Psychology). Sommers died on March 16, 2025, at the age of 49.[8]

Honors and awards

Sommers had been a fellow of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues since 2011. In 2009, he received the Gerald R. Gill Professor of the Year Award from Tufts. In 2008, he received the Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Excellence from the American Psychology–Law Society.[1] Anecdotally, he was beloved among the students at Tufts, with many taking his classes just to experience his renowned teaching style.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Samuel Sommers Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Tufts University. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Remembering Psychology Professor Sam Sommers | Tufts Now". now.tufts.edu. 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  3. ^ Mitchell, Robert (3 November 2015). "Being colorblind to race is not the answer". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  4. ^ Jacobs, Tom (15 January 2015). "Unconscious Racial Bias Taints the Legal System". Pacific Standard. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  5. ^ Sasso, Anne (5 May 2006). "Group Diversity: Mock Juries Reveal Surprising Effects of Diversity on Groups". Science. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  6. ^ O'Connor, E. (March 2001). "Study results show white jurors still demonstrate racial bias". Monitor. American Psychological Association. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Racism As A Zero-Sum Game". NPR. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  8. ^ Samuel R. Sommers
  9. ^ "A tribute to Professor Sam Sommers". The Tufts Daily. Retrieved 2025-04-28.


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