Dr Matthew Gervais
Lecturer in Psychology

Summary

I'm an evolutionary psychological anthropologist; or perhaps a cultural evolutionary psychologist. I ask: why, and how, people? Specifically, I work to understand the mutual constitution and co-evolution of human emotions, social relationships, and communities. My current research interests center on respect and contempt, their evolution, and their functional role in human norm psychology and community dynamics. I use a mix of descriptive and confirmatory methods, including long-term participant observation, semi-structured interviews, cultural domain analysis, economic games, and social psychological surveys. I have worked extensively with Indigenous iTaukei communities in the Fiji Islands. I also collaborate on multi-site comparative studies investigating human psychological and behavioural variation.

Qualifications

PhD 2013 - Biological Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles

MA 2008 - Biological Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles

BS/BA 2006 - Psychobiology/Philosophy/Anthropology, Binghamton University (SUNY)