Research — Grace Flores-Robles

Research Overview

My research examines how people make judgments about the value of labor, the boundaries between groups, and what outcomes are fair. I ask questions such as:

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Why do people assign different value to different people, work, or contributions?

Selected papers:

Feminized perceptions of care work create unique opposition to labor organizing (Flores-Robles & Gantman, under review)
Investigating generalized vs. case-by-case support for labor unions (Flores-Robles, Gantman, & Carriere, 2026)
Notions of care labor are antithetical to profitable labor (Flores-Robles & Gantman, 2024)

Two hands, one dark-skinned and one light-skinned, holding each other's fingers.

How do people understand social categories, and what happens when people don't fit neatly within them?

Selected papers:

The self’s conception of gender: Converging traits, distinct identities (Flores-Robles et al., 2026; in preparation)
Gender shapes interracial interactions: Understanding Black and Latine men and women’s experiences in anticipated cross-gender interracial interactions (Green, Flores-Robles, & Wout, 2026)
Gender and sexual minority PhD students experience epistemic exclusion in STEM (Flores-Robles et al., 2025)

A small brass or bronze statue of Lady Justice holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other, standing on a rectangular base.

When do people see differences in outcomes or behavior as legitimate, justified, or deserving?

Selected Papers:

Change the people or change the rules? Preferences for punishment following unfairness (Flores-Robles & Gantman, under review)
Corporate personification: A mind/body metaphor guides blame for organizational wrongdoing (Sharma, Flores-Robles, & Gantman, 2025)

Presentations and Research Dissemination

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2024 Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention

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SPSP Character & Context Blog

Emma Joing, Barnard College (Mentee)

2025 SPSP Annual Convention