Jaiden (she/her) is a PhD student in Psychological Science in the SPP lab. She is European/White-Canadian and Anishinaabe of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
Jaiden holds an M.A. in Psychological Science from TMU (2024) and a B.A. (Hons.) in Psychology with a Minor in Neuroscience from the University of Guelph (2021). Her research interests include Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations, reconciliation, political ideologies, intergroup emotions (e.g., guilt, nostalgia), collective action, collective memory, and Indigenous education.
Jaiden’s SSHRC-funded dissertation examines ideological moral credentialing among non-Indigenous Canadians as a barrier to substantive (vs. symbolic) support for reconciliation, including the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action. This extends her M.A. thesis, which investigated how non-Indigenous Canadians’ allyship, colonial ideologies, and collective guilt impact their support for reconciliation, Indigenous collective action, and political tolerance.
Jaiden is a member of the Decolonizing and Indigenizing Psychology Committee (DIPC) in the Department of Psychology at TMU. She also worked and continues contract research for Indspire, a national Indigenous education charity.
Select Publications & Media
Shayegh, J., Choma, B. L., Cila, J., & Herkimer, J. (2025). Non-Indigenous Canadians’ attitudes toward renaming or removing statues as a reconciliation strategy. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.13088
Herkimer, J., Choma, B. L., & Nasser, L. (2025). Non-Indigenous Canadians’ post-colonial ideologies, allyship and collective guilt predict support for reconciliation, collective action and political tolerance. Journal of Community Applied Social Psychology, 35: e70043. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.70043
Jones, C. T., & Maloley, C. (Hosts). (2024, June). Decolonizing psychology with Dr. Becky Choma, Anik Obomsawin and Jaiden Herkimer (No. 29) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podagogies: A learning and teaching podcast. Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Toronto Metropolitan University. https://soundcloud.com/user-305224768-967971769/decolonizing-psychology-with-dr-becky-choma-anik-obomsawin-and-jaiden-herkimer
Decolonizing and Indigenizing Psychology Committee. (2024, April). Conversations with knowledge holders and experts to inform the development of the “Indigenous Peoples and Psychology” course proposal. Toronto Metropolitan University. https://www.torontomu.ca/content/dam/psychology/edij/DIPC_FINAL_REPORT_April_2024.pdf
Herkimer, J., & Summers, K. (2023). Story as knowledge: Experiences of early leaving and persistence from Indigenous post-secondary students. Indspire. https://indspire.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Story-as-Knowledge-Experiences-of-Early-Leaving-and-Persistence-from-Indigenous-Post-Secondary-Students-FINAL.pdf