Sarah J. Gervais
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
Research Group or Laboratory:
Note from the Network: The holder of this profile has certified having all necessary rights, licenses, and authorization to post the files listed below. Visitors are welcome to copy or use any files for noncommercial or journalistic purposes provided they credit the profile holder and cite this page as the source.
Image Gallery
Video Gallery
The Consequences of the Objectifying Gaze for Women and Men
Select video to watch
-
15:15 The Consequences of the Objectifying Gaze for Women and Men
Length: 15:15
-
5:39 How Ads Can Promote Violence Toward Women
Length: 5:39
-
6:37 Go Big Grad | Commencement Speech
Length: 6:37
Additional Videos
Books:
Journal Articles:
- 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
- Gervais, S. J., DiLillo, D., & McChargue, D. (in press). Understanding the link between men’s alcohol use and sexual violence: The mediating role of sexual objectification. Psychology of Violence.
- 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]
- Allen, J., Gervais, S. J., & Smith, J. (2013). Sit big to eat big: The interaction of body posture and body concern on restrained eating. Psychology of Women Quarterly. doi:10.1177/0361684313476477
- Bernard, P., Gervais, S. J., Allen, J., & Klein, O. (2013). Perceptual determinants are critical, but they don’t explain everything: A response to Tarr. Psychological Science. doi: 10.1177/0956797612474672
- Davidson, M. M., Gervais, S. J., Canivez, G., & Cole, B. (2013). Is the interpersonal sexual objectification scale a valid and reliable measure of sexual objectification experiences for men? Journal of Counseling Psychology. doi: 10.1037/a0032075
- 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. (2013). 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). 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]
- Gervais, S. J., Vescio, T. K., Förster, J., Maass, A., & Suitner, C. (2012). Seeing women as objects: The sexual body part recognition bias. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 743-753. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.1890
- Wiener, R., Gervais, S. J., Allen, J., & Marquez, A. (2013). 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., Bernard, P., Klein, O., & Allen, J. (2013). Toward a unified theory of objectification and dehumanization. In S. J. Gervais (Ed.), Objectification and (de)humanization. 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
Sarah J. Gervais
Department of Psychology
338 Burnett Hall
University of Nebraska--Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
United States of America
- Phone: (402) 472-3793