Professor Sarah Gervais' research examines power and subtle prejudice. Examining behaviors like the objectifying gaze, flattery, patronization, and interpersonal confrontation, she has found that the discriminatory acts of powerful people are often more subtle and nuanced than previously thought, but they still have negative consequences for recipients from negatively stereotyped groups (like women, racial minorities, and people from poor and working class backgrounds). Professor Gervais also examines the relationship between subtle prejudice and public policy and law.

Primary Interests:

Applied Social Psychology
Culture and Ethnicity
Gender Psychology
Intergroup Relations
Internet and Virtual Psychology
Law and Public Policy
Motivation, Goal Setting
Person Perception
Persuasion, Social Influence
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Social Cognition

Applied Social Psychology
Culture and Ethnicity
Gender Psychology
Intergroup Relations
Internet and Virtual Psychology
Law and Public Policy

Motivation, Goal Setting
Person Perception
Persuasion, Social Influence
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Social Cognition

Research Group or Laboratory:

Subtle Prejudice Laboratory
Interactive Map

Journal Articles:

Allen, J., Gervais, S. J., & Smith, J. (in press). Sit big to eat big: The interaction of body posture and body concern on restrained eating. Psychology of Women Quarterly.
Bernard, P., Gervais, S. J., Allen, J., Campomizzi, S. & Klein, O. (2012). Integrating sexual objectification with object versus person recognition: The sexualized body-inversion hypothesis. Psychological Science, 23, 469-471. doi: 10.1177/0956797611434748
Bernard, P., Gervais, S. J., Allen, J., & Klein, O. (in press). Perceptual determinants are critical, but they don’t explain everything: A response to Tarr. Psychological Science.
Davidson, M. M., Gervais, S. J., Canivez, G., & Cole, B. (in press). Is the interpersonal sexual objectification scale a valid and reliable measure of sexual objectification experiences for men? Journal of Counseling Psychology.
Gervais, S. J. & Davidson, M. (2013). Objectification among college women in the context of intimate partner violence. Violence and Victims, 28, 36-49. doi: 10.1891/0886-6708.28.1.36
Gervais, S. J., Guinote, A., Allen, J. & Slabu, L. (2012). Power increases situated creativity. Social Influence. doi: 10.1080/15534510.2012.742457
Gervais, S. J. & Hillard, A. (2011). A role congruity perspective on voting preferences for Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Analysis of Public Policy and Social Issues, 11, 221-240. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-2415.2011.01263.x.
Gervais, S. J., Hillard, A. & Vescio, T. K. (2010). Confronting sexism: The role of relationship orientation and gender. Sex Roles, 63, 463-474. doi: 10.1007/s11199-010-9838-7.
Gervais, S. J. & Hoffman, L. (2012). Just think about it: Men and women’s mindfulness, sexism, and prejudice toward feminists. Sex Roles. doi: 10.1007/s11199-012-0241-4
Gervais, S. J. & Vescio, T. K. (2012). Patronizing behavior and gender differences in personal control and performance. Sex Roles, 66, 479-491. doi:10.1007/s11199-011-0115-1
Gervais, S. J., Vescio, T. K., & Allen, J. (2012). A test of the fungibility hypothesis from sexual objectification theory. British Journal of Social Psychology, 51, 499-513. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8309.2010.02016.x.
Gervais, S. J., Vescio, T. K., & Allen, J. (2011). A test of the fungibility hypothesis from sexual objectification theory. British Journal of Social Psychology.
Gervais, S. J. Vescio, T. K., & Allen, J. (2011). When what you see is what you get: The consequences of the objectifying gaze for men and women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35, 5-17. doi: 10.1177/0361684310386121. [Winner of the 2010-2011 Georgia Babladelis Best Paper Award, Division 35 of the American Psychological Association]
Tyler, K., Gervais, S. J. & Davidson, M. M (2012). The relationship between various forms of victimization and substance use among homeless and runaway adolescent girls. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28, 474-493. doi: 10.1177/0886260512455517
Vescio, T. K., Gervais, S. J., Snyder, M., & Hoover, A. (2005). Power and the creation of patronizing environments: The stereotype-based behaviors of the powerful and their effects on female performance in masculine domains. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. [Winner of the 2005-2006 Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Division 9 of the American Psychological Association]
Wiener, R., Gervais, S. J., *Allen, J., & *Marquez, A. (2012). In the eye of the beholder: The role of sexual objectification and affective forecasting on sexual harassment judgments. Psychology, Public Policy, and the Law. doi: 10.1037/a0028497

Other Publications:

Gervais, S. J. (2010). Disability, discrimination, and law. In R. Wiener (Ed.), Disability and Age Discrimination: Perspectives in Law and Psychology. New York: Springer.
Swim, J. K., Gervais, S. J., Pearson, N., & Stangor, S. J. (2009). Managing the message: Strategic self-presentation of confrontation to interpersonal discrimination. In F. Butera (Ed.), Coping with Minority Status: Responses to Exclusion and Inclusion. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Vescio, T. K., Gervais, S. J., Heipheitz, L., & Bloodhart, B. (2009). Stereotyping and power. In Handbook of Prejudice. New York: Psychology Press.

Courses Taught:

Applied Social Psychology
Psychology of Gender
Social Cognition
Social Psychology

Applied Social Psychology
Psychology of Gender

Social Cognition
Social Psychology

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Sarah J. Gervais
Department of Psychology
338 Burnett Hall
University of Nebraska--Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588
United States

Phone: (402) 472-3793