Dr Rachel Maunder

Lecturer, Psychological Sciences

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Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology)

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology

Overview

Dr Rachel Maunder joined ACAP as a Lecturer in the Discipline of Psychological Science in late 2020. Rachel has coordinated various units at ACAP, is the co-chair of the Early Career Researcher group, and the current course coordinator for the Bachelor of Psychological Science. Rachel also supervisors Psychology Honours students at ACAP.

Prior to joining ACAP, Rachel worked as a tutor, teaching fellow, and lecturer in psychology at the University of Sydney. Rachel completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Psychology at the University of Sydney in 2020 and 2016, respectively, as part of the Sydney University Psychology of Intergroup Relations (SUPIR) Lab under the supervision of Professor Fiona White.

Rachel’s doctoral research examined intergroup and peer contact as means of reducing public stigma against and selfstigma in people with mental illness, and the moderators of exemplar typicality and perceived variability. Rachel’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, has been presented at national and international conferences, and has attracted a number of awards, including the Dick Thompson Prize for the Best Empirical Honours Thesis in Social Psychology, the University of Sydney Faculty of Science Postgraduate Research Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement, and the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists’ Outstanding Postgraduate Research
Award

Research

Rachel’s research is focused on understanding and reducing public and self-stigma in relation to mental illness and other marginalised social group memberships, including sexual and gender minorities. She has examined multiple types of interventions for reducing prejudice and stigma, as well as various moderators and mediators of these interventions, using quantitative cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental research paradigms.

Research and scholarship

Publications

Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2022). The relationship between contact with peers and self-stigma in people with mental illness. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 35(4), 880-896. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2021.1970514
Marinucci, M., Maunder, R. D., Sanchez, K., Thai, M., McKeown, S., Turner, R., & Stevenson, C. (2021). Intimate intergroup contact across the lifespan. Journal of Social Issues, 77(1), 64-85. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12399
Boccanfuso, E., White, F. A., & Maunder, R. D. (2021). Reducing transgender stigma via an E-contact intervention. Sex Roles, 84, 326–336. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11199-020-01171-9
White, F. A., Maunder, R. D., Verrelli, S. (2020). Text-based E-contact: Harnessing cooperative Internet interactions to bridge the social and psychological divide. European Review of Social Psychology, 31, 76-119. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2020.1753459
Maunder, R. D., Day, S. C., & White, F. A. (2020). The benefit of contact for prejudice-prone individuals: The type of stigmatized outgroup matters. Journal of Social Psychology, 160, 92-104. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2019.1601608
Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2019). Intergroup contact and mental health stigma: A comparative effectiveness meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 72, 101749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2019.101749
Maunder, R. D., White, F. A., & Verrelli, S. (2019). Modern avenues for intergroup contact: Using E-contact and intergroup emotions to reduce stereotyping and social distancing against people with schizophrenia. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 22, 947-963. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430218794873
White, F. A., Verrelli, S., Maunder, R. D., & Kervinen, A. (2019). Using electronic contact to reduce homonegative attitudes, emotions, and behavioural intentions among heterosexual women and men: A contemporary extension of the contact hypothesis. The Journal of Sex Research, 56, 1179-1191. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2018.1491943
White, F. A., Maunder, R. D., Verrelli, S. (2018). How research is helping to reduce prejudice between people online. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/how-research-is-helping-to-reduce-prejudice-between-people-online-106175

Conference Presentations

Maunder, R. D. (2023, April). Can contact with peers reduce mental health self-stigma? [Conference presentation]. Mental Ill-Health Stigma Researchers Australia 2023 Symposium.
Maunder, R. D. (2021, November). Longitudinal peer contact for reducing self-stigma in people with mental illness. [3-minute research showcase]. ACAP 2021 Research and Conference: Transformation in the time of COVID-19.
Maunder, R. D. (2021, November). Contact with peers is related to reduced self-stigma in people with mental illness [3-minute research showcase]. ACAP 2021 Research and Conference: Transformation in the time of COVID-19.
Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2020, April). The role of exemplar typicality in intergroup contact [Standard presentation]. Outstanding Graduate Award Session, 49th Annual Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Auckland, New Zealand. (Conference cancelled).
Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2019, April). Reducing internalised stigma with contact [Blitz presentation]. SASP-SPSSI Small Group Conference: Advances in Intergroup Contact Research: Showcasing, Consolidating, Deconstructing and Innovating the Science of Social Integration, Newcastle, Australia.
Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2019, April). Intergroup contact and mental health stigma: A comparative effectiveness meta-analysis [Standard presentation]. Overcoming Barriers to Intergroup Contact: Perspectives on Intergroup Segregation and Negative Contact [Symposium], 48th Annual Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Sydney, Australia.
Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2018, April). The role of exemplar typicality and perceived variability in reducing mental health stigma [Standard presentation]. 47th Annual Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Wellington, New Zealand.
Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2017, November). The role of exemplar typicality and perceived variability in reducing mental health stigma [Standard presentation]. Sydney Postgraduate Psychology Conference, Sydney, Australia.
Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2017, April). Stigma against people with schizophrenia: A new model and E-Contact Intervention [Standard presentation]. Outstanding Postgraduate Research Award Session, 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Melbourne, Australia.

ORCID iD profile URL

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8436-691X