Professional Bio

Terri Vescio’s research seeks to understand the factors that facilitate and temper the expression of sexism, racism, and heterosexism. Within that context, Terri is interested in the interplay between the stereotypic behaviors of powerful people and the consequences that those behaviors have for the emotions, motivation, and performance of low power women, gay men, and people of color. She also studies the role of hegemonic masculinity (as a personal identity and cultural ideology) in the maintenance of the status quo via political preferences, use and acceptance of sexual violence, preferences to dominate women, acceptance of violence against people of color.  She is particularly interested in how subtle and hegemonic processes reinforce and maintain the status quo.

Recent Publications

Vescio, T. K., Schermerhorn, N. E. C., Gallegos, J. M., & Laubach, M. L. (2021). The effects of threats to masculinity on perspective taking, empathy, guilt, and shame. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 97. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104195

Schermerhorn, N. E. C., & Vescio, T. K. (2021). Perceptions of a sexual advance from gay men leads to negative affect and compensatory acts of masculinity. European Journal of Social Psychology. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2775

Vescio, T. K., & Schermerhorn, N. E. C. (2021). Hegemonic masculinity predicts 2016 and 2020 voting and candidate evaluation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 18(2), 1 – 10, e2020589118; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020589118.

Vescio, T. K., & Kosakowska-Berezecka, N. (2020). The not so subtle effects of everyday sexism. In Halpern, D. & Cheung, F. M. (Eds.), The Cambridge International Handbook on Psychology of Women. (pp. 205-220).  Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Gallegos, J., Vescio, T. K., & Shields, S. A. (2019). Perceived morality determines the acceptability of stereotypic feminine emotional displays in men. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 20, 623-636. DOI:10.1037/men0000195

Ratcliff, N. J., & Vescio, T. K. (2018). The effects of leader illegitimacy on leaders’ and subordinates’ responses to relinquishing power decisions. European Journal of Social Psychology, 48, 365-379.  DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2335

Vescio, T. K., Cuddy, A. J. C., Crosby, F., & Weaver, K. S. (2017). Racism, complexity, and affirmative action. In Krosnick, J. A., Chiang, I-C, A., & Stark, T. H.  (Eds), Political Psychology: New Explorations. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

Cundiff, J. C., & Vescio, T. K. (2016). Gender stereotypes influence how people explain gender disparities in the workplace. Sex Roles, 75, 126-138. DOI: 10.1007/s11199-016-0593-2

Dahl, J. L., Vescio, T. K., & Weaver, K. S. (2015). How threats to masculinity sequentially cause public discomfort, anger, and ideological dominance over women. Social Psychology, 46, 242-254.

Weaver, K. S., & Vescio, T. K. (2015). The justification of social inequality in response to masculinity threats. Sex Roles, 72, 521-535.

Ratcliff, N. J., Vescio, T. K., & Dahl, J. L. (2015). (Still) Waiting in the wings: How stereotypes of competence influence to whom one would relinquish power. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 57, 23-30.