The lecture series “Latinos in the Midwest,” which was canceled last March because a snowstorm, has been rescheduled for Thursday, with the same speakers set to give their presentations. The psychology department at Iowa State will host the discussion about the origins of stereotypes of Hispanics.

The lectures will focus on the unique experience of being Hispanic in Iowa. The series begins at 4 p.m. in 118 Horticulture Hall.

Carey Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and Stephen Quintana, professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will be the featured speakers for the event.

Ryan’s research focuses on stereotypes, prejudices and group processes. She will speak about how Hispanic immigrants and whites perceive each other in Midwestern culture. She has found that stereotyping is not something unique to one race or the other.

“Most of my research is on the processes that underlie stereotyping,” she said. “The processes are similar across groups, even though the content of the stereotypes is different.”

Ryan looks at issues of diversity from a scientific standpoint. She tries to keep common ideas about stereotypes separate from her actual research. Ryan said even the word “stereotype” carries some unwanted misconceptions.

“I call it ‘intergroup perceptions,’ but we would most often refer to them as stereotypes,” Ryan said. “I like to distinguish between the way I use stereotypes in research and the way the term is used in everyday life.”

Quintana has also worked extensively with processes involving stereotyping, although his subjects may be smaller. He received a Ford Foundation Fellowship Award for his research with Mexican-American children and their understanding of ethnicity.

In his lecture, he will be focusing on the issues of race through the eyes of elementary-school-age Hispanics and how their perceptions change as they go through high school and onward.

“The dimensions that they use to understand race and ethnicity change as they get older,” Quintana said. “When they are young, they pay most attention to the more superficial features, such as skin color and physical appearance. As they move on through middle and high school, they gain a better understanding of the social impact of their racial identity.”

After the children begin to understand their identity in terms of race, they will get a sense of their relationship to the rest of the members of the ethnic group.

“They see themselves through the eyes of others, and then they develop an individual identity as well as an ethnic group identity, an ethnic group consciousness.”

David Vogel, associate professor of psychology, said one of the goals of the lectures is to allow students interested in social and racial issues to learn more about the field of researching them.

“It’s very important that we make people aware of the issues that face Latino individuals,” Vogel said. “I think it is important for Iowa State in general to be aware of diversity issues and to have discussions about it.”

Vogel said the field of psychology has a major role in the ongoing issue of discrimination and how it affects those who are on both sides of the problem.

“Psychology is one of the main places where we study individual differences. We study the effects of stereotyping, discrimination and related issues,” Vogel said.

“In some of the more applied areas, we calculate ways to encourage communication and understanding to lessen stereotyping.”