Dr. Sarah Gaither
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sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither
@sarahegaither.bsky.social

Social and Developmental Psychology at Duke; foodie, twin mom, UC Berkeley and Tufts alumna; she/her

Psychology 32%
Political science 28%

Yes! The moment I saw that in the lit review I knew this was a strongly engrained cultural difference!! #cultureiscool
Do your hands talk when you do? 🗣️✋

Check out this @duke-university.bsky.social write up about my new work with my postdoc Esha Naidu (she is on the job market!) showing gestures reflect culture & identity—our nonverbal “accents” can shape interracial communication.

trinity.duke.edu/news/talking...
Talking with Our Hands: Duke Study Reveals How Culture Shapes Our Gestures
You are having dinner with friends, and the conversation is lively. Do your hands join the chat, or do they stay focused on your knife and fork?
trinity.duke.edu

So happy for my lab!!! See you in Chicago!
More @spspnews.bsky.social happiness for the lab! Congrats to @mohammadwiswall.bsky.social Tose, Mercedes, Hannah, Mariam and our undergrads Julia and Jalen for all having posters accepted!! We hope chilly Chicago is ready for our science!!
a penguin is standing in the snow with the words happyfeet behind it
ALT: a penguin is standing in the snow with the words happyfeet behind it
media.tenor.com

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

More @spspnews.bsky.social happiness for the lab! Congrats to @mohammadwiswall.bsky.social Tose, Mercedes, Hannah, Mariam and our undergrads Julia and Jalen for all having posters accepted!! We hope chilly Chicago is ready for our science!!
a penguin is standing in the snow with the words happyfeet behind it
ALT: a penguin is standing in the snow with the words happyfeet behind it
media.tenor.com

“The vote is precious. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.” —John Lewis #electionday #govote

Thank you!!!

So incredibly honored to be named a @spspnews.bsky.social Fellow this year!! Hooray for science!! 🎉🥳

spsp.org/news/spsp-ne...
Announcing 2025 SPSP and Division 8 Fellows | SPSP
Please join us in congratulating the newest cohort of SPSP and APA Division 8 Fellows!
spsp.org

No tricks here, just the best lab!!
Happy fall y’all! We are clearly the pick of the patch since our data is looking gourd-geous!

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

Happy fall y’all! We are clearly the pick of the patch since our data is looking gourd-geous!
"Data manipulation by the US Gov...makes crucial datasets untrustworthy and unusable. If the US Government secretly changes datasets for political reasons, researchers relying on the data might erroneously recommend ineffective or counterproductive interventions."
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Data manipulation within the US Federal Government
A US Department of Veterans Affairs dataset compiling veteran health-care use in 2021 was quietly amended on March 5, 2025. A column titled gender was renamed sex, and the words were also switched in ...
www.thelancet.com

Best academic related phone autocorrect I had this morning: instead of “prep” it corrected to oreo. Yes, we all need more oreos!!
a man in a suit and tie is sitting at a desk holding a piece of paper
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is sitting at a desk holding a piece of paper
media.tenor.com

Check out some coverage of one of my past papers highlighting multiple identities and flexible thinking in kids! @dukeidlab.bsky.social is running some follow up studies now for anyone with 8-10 year olds out there, the study is on zoom! Let me know! #psychology
iol.co.za/lifestyle/fa...
Remind kids that there's more to life than simply being someone's child
This practice of introducing kids to their various roles also broadens their horizon.
iol.co.za

Impossible to advise on!!!!

My common feeling with publishing lol
a man in a blue shirt and red tie says if you don 't like me that 's fine
ALT: a man in a blue shirt and red tie says if you don 't like me that 's fine
media.tenor.com

I find picking a journal SO stressful! It is like dating!!!
#AcademicSky

Laypeople would probably be surprised to learn how much effort researchers put into selecting WHICH journal to submit a manuscript to.

But it's actually a critical part of publishing. (we can argue about whether that's a good or bad thing)

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

#AcademicSky

Laypeople would probably be surprised to learn how much effort researchers put into selecting WHICH journal to submit a manuscript to.

But it's actually a critical part of publishing. (we can argue about whether that's a good or bad thing)

Check out the newest pub from @dukeidlab.bsky.social Led by Mercedes Munoz (my amazing grad student on the job market this year!!), we argue for the need to consider all of our various identities when thinking about racial/ethnic socialization messages!

www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Considering Multiplicity in Racial Ethnic Socialization | Annual Reviews
An often-underacknowledged component of racial ethnic identity development concerns youth's multiple social identities, which affect how and when youth receive racial ethnic socialization (RES) f...
www.annualreviews.org

Thanks for the shout out! And yes, firm believer here that intergroup contact matters a ton!!!

Happy FDOC to me!! My motto for this school year “Let laughter happen” We all need to laugh sometimes!! No matter what!!

I like to celebrate accomplishments and make fall goals. One of my grad students asked me, “Was this your dream? To be sitting at a table like this with so much diversity?” I answered, “Yes!” The science we do isn’t possible without diversity at the table. So let’s all find a seat at a table.
Happy end of summer to our amazing lab!! So much writing and science, a celebration and planning lunch was needed!! ☀️ Fall semeter here we come!!

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

Happy end of summer to our amazing lab!! So much writing and science, a celebration and planning lunch was needed!! ☀️ Fall semeter here we come!!

💔💔💔

A few students from our department went to SISSP this year! This is such a great @spspnews.bsky.social program to help train the next generation!
SISSP (Summer Institute for Social and Personality Psychology) @spspnews.bsky.social was a big success! @mohammadwiswall.bsky.social met so many wonderful people in the field and learned a ton too!

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

SISSP (Summer Institute for Social and Personality Psychology) @spspnews.bsky.social was a big success! @mohammadwiswall.bsky.social met so many wonderful people in the field and learned a ton too!

Look at my new lab home!!!
A belated post to show proof we have moved officially into our new lab space at @duke-university.bsky.social while our building on campus is renovated the next two years!! Come visit us!!

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

A belated post to show proof we have moved officially into our new lab space at @duke-university.bsky.social while our building on campus is renovated the next two years!! Come visit us!!

As you may know, my PhD adviser Sam Sommers passed away suddenly. He was an incredible mentor and teacher and spent all of his time helping others. I am asking you all to help his wife and daughters during this tragic time which has created financial hardships. Thank you. ❤️

gofund.me/e214cc60
Donate to Supporting Sam Sommers’ Family After Sudden Loss, organized by Julie Bettergarcia
Our dear friend and colleague, Sam Sommers died unexpectedly at th… Julie Bettergarcia needs your support for Supporting Sam Sommers’ Family After Sudden Loss
gofund.me

Mentoring and teaching is the best part of this job!
Last week we got to celebrate our high school intern Avani with her final summer program presentation at NCSSM! She helped so much in the lab, and is off to start college applications! So look out colleges for Avani!!

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

Last week we got to celebrate our high school intern Avani with her final summer program presentation at NCSSM! She helped so much in the lab, and is off to start college applications! So look out colleges for Avani!!

New paper with my collaborator Eva Chen! Children in Hong Kong notice both ethnicity and wealth status by preschool, with majority kids preferring their ethnic ingroup, but ethnic minority kids don't. Status shifts preferences! Free access through this link!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Whom do I like more? Examining ethnic majority and minority children’s socializing preferences in Hong Kong
Children often attend to social group differences when making decisions. Here, we investigated group preferences among Hong Kong children: 115 Chinese…
www.sciencedirect.com