Rachael D. Robnett

Associate Professor of Psychology
Director, UNLV Social Development Research Lab
Expertise: Developmental psychology, Adolescent development, Psychology of gender, Academic achievement/career aspirations, Romantic relationships, Gender stereotyping

Biography

Rachael Robnett is a developmental psychologist whose areas of expertise include adolescent development and gender development. Her research addresses the ways in which socialization, stereotypes, and society contour the attitudes and behaviors that people display in their daily lives.

Robnett's primary line of research provides insight into adolescents’ and young adults’ pursuit of careers related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). She is especially interested in identifying ways to bring more girls, women, and members of ethnic minority groups into STEM fields. Her research findings suggest that peers, self-efficacy, and hands-on research involvement may have important implications for underrepresented students’ pursuit of STEM careers.

Robnett’s second line of research examines the causes and implications of gender bias and gender-role adherence. Her work in this domain focuses on associations between gender-traditional ideologies and individuals’ preferences within the context of romantic relationships. For example, her work has examined people's preferences for marriage traditions such as marriage proposals and surname changes.

Robnett is an action editor at the British Journal of Developmental Psychology and the Journal of Adolescent Research. She also serves on the editorial board at Psychology of Women Quarterly and Sex Roles: A Journal of Research.

Education

  • Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz

Related Links

Rachael D. Robnett In The News

Today
What’s up with the “pick me” teen slang expression? According to Urban Dictionary, a pick-me girl “is a girl who seeks male validation by indirectly or directly insinuating that she is ‘not like the other girls.’”
K.N.P.R. News
We honor our moms on Mother’s Day, which is this Sunday. The history of that day is interesting. A few years after it was founded in 1908, the woman who started it all wanted it eliminated. Instead of a rallying cry for moms, she was angered that it had been commercialized by greeting card, flower and candy industries. Today, no one protests Mother’s Day. But as the social status of women has grown, women are still trying to attain equal status in the workplace, in wages, politics and more.
NBC Bay Area
Who comes first on Mother’s Day — moms with young kids or mothers-in-law and grandmothers? “So, let’s talk about Mother’s Day,” Mellissa Grice, a 53-year-old mom in North Carolina, said in a TikTok video, referencing a younger creator who declared the holiday solely for “moms in the trenches” of parenthood.
Today
Who comes first on Mother’s Day — moms with young kids or mothers-in-law and grandmothers?

Articles Featuring Rachael D. Robnett

Josh Hawkins, UNLV
Campus News | July 3, 2024

News highlights featuring UNLV students and staff who made (refreshing) waves in the headlines.

The Sphere on the Las Vegas Strip.
Campus News | October 2, 2023

A collection of news stories highlighting expert insights, research, and academic achievement.

Scarlet and Gray, “REB's Glitter Squad”, Lester Cruz and Isabel Ferguson, take pictures and hype up students and families during the October 2022 homecoming football game.
Campus News | November 8, 2022

A collection of news stories highlighting UNLV students and faculty who made headlines locally, regionally, and internationally.