Eyad J. Naseralla, Ph.D.

Dr. Naseralla earned his M.S., and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology (social concentration) from Saint Louis University. He joined the Buffalo State psychology department in 2022.

Current Research Projects

Effects of official reporting on perceived rape victim credibility

Rape survivors who do not report their perpetrators are subject to more negative affective responses from observers compared to those who do. The goal of this project is to determine if victims who do not report are also perceived as being less credible and more likely to have an ulterior motive for making allegations.

Effects of status on perceived rape victim credibility

Women who are lower in socioeconomic status are significantly more likely to be raped/sexually assaulted than their high-status counterparts. Additionally, many victims face the challenge of not being believed upon disclosing their experiences. The goal of this project is to examine the role of victim and perpetrator status (both independently and in conjunction with one another) on perceptions of victim credibility. The project also explores the possible mediating role of perceived ulterior motives related to seeking attention and financial gain.

The role of victim race in the ‘Emotional Victim Effect’

The emotional victim effect states that judgements of victim credibility are influenced by the degree to which a victim’s emotional expressiveness is consistent with expectations. As there are many racial stereotypes related to emotional expressiveness, it is possible that a victim’s race may influence expected emotions, which may in turn influence perceived credibility.

Justice responses in instances of unreported rape

Rape survivors who do not report their perpetrators are subject to more negative responses compared to those who do. The goal of this project is to explore if observers feel that victims who do not report are (to some extent) responsible when an unreported perpetrator assaults another individual.   

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Stiles, D.L., Ma, L., Fitterman-Harris, H.F., Naseralla, E.J, & Rudolph, C.R. (In Press). Body dissatisfaction and romantic relationship quality: A meta-analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

Naseralla, E.J., Baker, S.G., & Warner, R.H. (2021). The influence of political partisanship on perceptions of sexual assault. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 21(1), 210-236. https://doi.org/10.1111/asap.12273

Naseralla, E.J. & Warner, R.H. (2020). The role of reporting in the evaluation of rape victims. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(5), 1032-1045. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2654

​Courses Taught

• Introduction to Psychology (PSY 101)

Research Interests​

​The influence of personal and situational factors (such as reporting, socioeconomic status, race, and sexual orientation) on perceptions of sexual violence victims; beliefs about justice and punishment; responses to social identity threat; prejudice and stereotyping.