Values

a cartoonic image of people with diverse ethnicities/colors

The CiCLab is committed to creating and sustaining diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments -- places where all individuals can bring their whole selves and thrive, and know that they are valued as human beings. We believe that this approach is essential for the well-being and success of each individual and the success of our lab, department, university, the larger research community, and society. Diverse experiences and perspectives are the foundation for making what we do relevant, innovative, and valuable. We strive to break from policies and traditions that have privileged a subset of voices and marginalized many others. To achieve our goals:

 

  • We commit to sharing our knowledge, questions, perspectives, and resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion with one another, through regular discussions in our weekly lab meetings and curation of relevant readings, videos, and other resources. Lab members and alums have shared personal bios that describe issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion that we are well-positioned and happy to talk about with any member of the lab. These issues reflect our diverse identities and experiences, which include (and are not limited to) BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, first-generation Mexican-American, second-generation Asian-American, first-generation college student, #metoo, neurodivergent, anxiety, depression, and being an ally. We consider issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic background and status, family responsibilities, citizenship status, and intersections among these dimensions.

 

  • We commit to taking actions to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in our research, teaching, and service, in our lab, in our department and university, and in the field more broadly, as well as in our lives. Steps we are taking include:Graduate students Jade Yonehiro and Diego Placido serve on the UC Davis Anti-Racist Advocacy Group and Department of Psychology BIPOC Graduate Student Advisory Group. This work includes advocating for anti-racist policies at the state and local levels and providing insight into the issues that BIPOC students face at the department and university level and ways to address them.  
    • We are partnering with Family Hui, a parenting support group that runs programs in California and internationally. This partnership currently focuses on analyzing parent feedback on the California-based program. This program has a broad reach, serving families in three languages (English, Farsi/Dari, and Spanish) who span a wide range of socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, including parents with no schooling and parents with graduate degrees. These results will inform the development and evaluation of future parent support programs.
    • We are collaborating with educators, developers, and researchers in math education, equity, and executive function, to develop Spark Math, a new program funded by efmathprogram.org, to support math learning in students from historically underserved groups. 
    • We are mentoring research assistants from underrepresented groups through programs such as McNair Scholars and the UC Davis Office of Educational Opportunity and Enrichment Services, and mentoring K-12 students from underprivileged backgrounds through Letters to a Pre-Scientist, to increase the tangibility of pursuing higher education and STEM careers. 
    • We are expanding our research and developing international collaborations to test more diverse populations and sociocultural influences on children's behavior and re-evaluate scientific conclusions drawn from restricted samples. 
    • PI Yuko Munakata is serving on the Psychology Department's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which supports, facilitates, and provides resources for the department's collective work. One of her projects focuses on reshaping incentive systems to value diversity efforts.
    • We are making our commitments public. All members of our lab contributed to this statement, with special efforts from Lab Manager Jack White and RA Lizzy Gilligan. 

 

  • We commit to stepping back to reflect regularly to ensure that our learning, actions, and commitments are informed by the goals of our lab members, the efforts of individuals and organizations outside of our lab, and evidence about best practices in creating and sustaining diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments.

 

  • We commit to recognizing that we are all works in progress. Some of us have been addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion for years. Some of us are relatively new to it. Some of us believed that we were not racist until we were exposed to thought-provoking experiences and materials such as Dr. Ibram Kendi's work regarding how: “One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an antiracist.” Some of us were quick to judge others based on non-inclusive things they said in the past until Dr. Imani Goffney implored her audience not to freeze people in time, to give people a chance to join in understanding and addressing inequities. We welcome all members of the lab to join in this lifelong process.

 

Please feel free to reach out to any member of our lab with questions, comments, suggestions, etc. Thank you!