Sophia Evett

I have served on the faculty at Salem State University since Fall 1997.

Educational Background:

• PhD Social Psychology and Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1996. 
• MS Social Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. 
• BA Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1989.

I am a social psychologist and specialize in the psychology of prejudice, stereotyping and intergroup relations.  My current research, with Managament Professor Anne-Marie Hakstian, focuses on retail discrimination and consumer racial profiling and jury decision making in retail discrimination cases. I am also very involved with campus wide efforts to create a welcoming and inclusive community at Salem State through professional development, community dialogue, and assessment. 

I love supervising student research.  Here are some recent student projects:

• Hoffmann, J. (Spring, 2018). Anticipating Racial Diversity: Differential Information Processing by White Americans in a Mock Jury Experiment, Masters Thesis. 
• Hennigan, P. (Fall, 2015). Is Vegan Food Really that Bad? The Relation between Moral Identity Threat and Flavor Preference. Honors Thesis.
• Terrell, D. (Fall, 2015). An Investigation of Cultural Awareness: Knowledge, Attitudes Experience and Education. Honors Thesis.
• Runge, C. (Spring, 2013). Behind the scenes: A review of racial influences on jury deliberation. Poster presented at the Salem State University Graduate Research Day.
• Jean-Laurent, M (Spring, 2011). Profiled: Perceptions of racial discrimination. Poster presented at the Salem State University Undergraduate Research Symposium.

• Co-chair Campus Climate Study Working Group 2016 - 2020
• Member of Salem State University Institutional Review Board 2014-2018
• Chair of the Salem State Psychology Department 2015 - June 2019, and Acting Chair Fall 2020
• Psychology Department Research Coordinator, SONA administrator

Hakstian, A-M., Evett, S. R., Hoffmann, J. S., Marshall, J. M.., Boyland, E. A., & Williams, J. D. (in press). Racial diversity and group decision-making in a mock-jury experiment. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies.

Williams, J. D., Henderson, G. R., Evett, S. R., & Hakstian, A.-M. (2015). Racial discrimination in retail settings: A liberation psychology perspective. In M. Bay & A. Fabian (Eds.), Race and Retail: Consumption across the Color Line, pp. 263-277. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press

Evett, S. R., Hakstian, A.-M. G., Williams, J. D., & Henderson, G. R. (2013). What’s race got to do with it? Responses to consumer discrimination. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 12(1), 165-185.

Conley, T. D., Evett, S. R., & Devine, P. G. (2007). Attitudes, subjective experiences, and behaviors of heterosexuals in imagined and actual encounters between gay and homosexual people. Journal of Homosexuality, 53(3), 35-63.

Evett, S. (2004, November). Beacon: Promoting diversity in the classroom. ASPECT, pp. 1, 3, 10, Salem State College School of Arts and Sciences.

Conley, T. D., Devine, P. G., Rabow, J., & Evett, S. R. (2002). Gay men and lesbians’ experiences in and expectations for interactions with heterosexuals. Journal of Homosexuality, 44 (1), 83-109.

Conley, T. D., Calhoun, C., Evett, S. R., Devine, P. G. (2001). Mistakes that heterosexual people make when trying to appear non-prejudiced: The view from LGB people. Journal of Homosexuality, 42 (2), 21-43.
 

Hakstian, A-M., Evett, S. R., Hoffmann, J. S., Marshall, J. M.., Boyland, E. A., & Williams, J. D. (March, 2022). Racial diversity and group decision-making in a mock-jury experiment. Paper presented at Conference of Empirical Legal Studies, Toronto, ON (virtual).

June 2017 Co-Facilitation of one-day diversity training session for Department Chairs, Salem State University.

Hoffmann, J., Evett, S., Hakstian, A.-M., Boyland, E., & Williams, J. D. (October, 2017). Exploring Racial Differences in Jury Decision Making in Retail Discrimination Trials. Poster presented at New England Psychological Association, Newton, MA.

Evett, S. R., Hakstian, A-M, G., & Burk, L. A. (March, 2012). Making the Case for Retail Discrimination: A Mock Jury Investigation. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Pittsburgh, PA.

Hakstian, A. G., & Evett, S. R. (December, 2009). Race Discrimination Or Unlawful Detention? Results Of A Mock Jury Study On Consumer Discrimination. Paper presented at Fourteenth Cross-Cultural Research Conference. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Benton, R. C., Brossoit, L. A., Evett, S. R., Hakstian, A. G., Newton, S. A. (May, 2009). Yes We Can! A Grassroots Approach to Changing the Culture and Climate in the Classroom and Beyond. Workshop presented at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education, San Diego, NY.

Williams, J. D., Henderson, G. R., Hakstian, A. G., & Evett, S. R. (2009), “An Experimental Scenario-Based Approach to Analyzing Consumer Response to Marketplace Discrimination,” in E. S. Moore, J. K. Pappalardo, and W. L. Wilkie (Eds.), 2009 Marketing and Public Policy Conference Proceedings: Contributions, Controversies, and Continuing Challenges in the Worlds of Consumer Protection and Competition, Volume 19, Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association, 221-222. Paper presented May 30, 2009.

Evett, S. R., Hakstian, A.G., Williams, J. D., & Henderson, G. R. (April, 2008). Perceptions of marketplace discrimination. Poster presented at the Psychology and Social Justice Conference, New School, New York, NY.
 

My family, my dogs, travel, hiking and camping, music and theater.

Some of my favorite links:

Skeptics website: www.snopes.com

Prejudice sites: understandingprejudice.org, teachingtolerance.org, implicit attitudes test

Psychology sites: socialpsychology.org, aps.org, apa.org