Michael Thai
Biographic Data
| ID | 187641 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Michael Thai |
| GIVEN NAMES | Michael |
| FAMILY NAME | Thai |
| SIGNATURE | THAI M |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Queensland |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8000-9413 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 31 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 94 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 31 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Subcultural desires: Attraction to twinks, jocks, and bears is associated with sexual preferences for specific body types, gender expressions, and racial groups
Sexual subcultures such as twinks, jocks, and bears have provided sexual minority men with a means of self-definition and social connection within a broader LGBTQIA+ community. The present study explores the preferences associated with attraction to these subcultures, shedding light on how these subcultural identities function as targets of attraction. Drawing on survey data from 961 sexual minority men living in Australia, we find that attractio…
Examining Motivational Profiles of Forgiveness in the Workplace: An Employee-Centered Approach
Forgiveness is often conceptualized as an ethical response to workplace transgressions with the potential to repair strained relationships between organizational members. However, the act of forgiveness is not always accompanied by prosocial intentions; scholars have theorized that there is a qualitative difference between forgiveness that genuinely expresses an internal sentiment of benevolence versus forgiveness that is expressed but lacks corr…
From “Mesearch” to “Wesearch”: Perceptions of Researchers Studying Their Own Intersectional Marginalization
Important scientific contributions regarding intersectional marginalization are often advanced by researchers who, themselves, hold the relevant intersecting identities. But how are these researchers perceived? In an experiment gauging the perspective of a demographically representative sample of U.S. Americans ( N = 385), we found that research on Black women’s marginalization was perceived as equivalently trustworthy and meritorious whether it …
From Dolls to Trucks: Factors Associated With Adults' Gender‐Typing of Children's Toys
Children's gender socialisation begins from a young age and one socialisation context used to provide gender‐based information is toy play. Adults play a key role in prescribing children's toys; however, the factors that motivate adults to consider toys as gender‐typed for boys or girls require further investigation. We investigated predictors of gender‐typing of children's toys by women and men, both parents and non‐parents. In this study, 1200 …
Flattering or fetishizing? Racial minority group members respond negatively to racial dating preferences favoring their racial ingroup
This research shows that sexual preferences favoring racial minority group members are taken by racial minority group members as indicative of racial fetishization and have negative implications for how the person espousing them is perceived. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Transformative Moral Repair Following Interpersonal Transgressions: Post-Transgression Relationship Growth
Research often views relationship repair through a reparative lens of relationship partners attempting to fix what was damaged or broken by the transgression. We argue here for a transformative lens to view transgressions as potential catalysts for the strengthening of relationships or what we term: post-transgression relationship growth (PTRG). However, we also argue that PTRG is more likely achieved when the transgression is dealt with dyadical…
A Qualitative Exploration of Trans Adults’ Experiences of Engaging with Health Professionals in Australia
Introduction Research demonstrates that trans and gender diverse (trans) individuals often encounter health practitioners who are ill-informed and discriminatory. These experiences contribute to healthcare avoidance, increase the risk of self-harm and suicide, and limit access to gender-affirming care. Methods This qualitative study utilised detailed responses to an open-ended survey question within an online survey ( n = 196) to explore the expe…
An Extra Set of Bits for Your Fantasy”: A Qualitative Exploration of Bi + Women’s Fetishization Experiences
Stuck in the middle: Men experience countervailing reactions to discussions about misogyny and violence against women
Across three pre-registered studies (total N = 1344), we sought to understand how men react to discussions about violence against women. Initially, we expected that highly identified men would react defensively. That is, exposure to anti-violence advocacy would lead highly identified men to engage in outgroup derogation (i.e., minimise the prevalence of violence against women, exaggerate women’s gender-based privilege), ingroup favouritism (i.e.,…
Health and wellbeing at the intersection of gender modality and ethnicity in Australia
No Asians” Because “No Femmes”? Racial Preferences in Gay White Australian Men and Their Relationship with Preferences for Masculinity and Femininity
The literature examining racial preferences in attraction among sexual minority men in Western contexts illuminates a stable racial hierarchy of desire. Within this hierarchy, White men are generally highly favored, and racially minoritized men are systematically stratified below them in terms of sexual appeal. The present research employed latent class analysis to empirically model gay White men's racial preferences in attraction, allowing us to…
Keeping score: Past victimization reduces offenders’ conciliatory sentiments for their present transgressions
Many relationships within which interpersonal transgressions transpire often involve histories of reciprocal wrongdoing, where each party has occupied both the role of victim and offender. We investigate whether past incidents of being wronged by the victim of a present transgression may dampen offenders’ conciliatory sentiments for their present wrongdoing. Across four studies (combined N = 1037), we find evidence that past victimization experie…
Turning Tables: Offenders Feel Like “Victims” When Victims Withhold Forgiveness
When offenders apologize to victims for a wrongdoing, they often expect forgiveness in return. Sometimes, however, victims may withhold forgiveness. Across four experimental studies, we find that offenders feel like “victims” when victims respond to their apologies with non-forgiveness. This can be explained by the fact that they interpret non-forgiveness as both a norm violation and a threat to their sense of power. Together, these mechanisms ca…
How We Talk to Kids: Adults Prefer Different Forms of Language for Children Based on Gender Expression
Let's talk about this: Co‐rumination and dyadic dynamics of moral repair following wrongdoing
Interpersonal transgressions threaten victims, offenders, and their relationships, often leading the parties to ruminate about the wrongdoing, not only individually but also together, in acts of co‐rumination . We investigate how two forms of co‐rumination—co‐reflection and co‐brooding—influence, or are influenced by, individual rumination and victim forgiveness or offender self‐forgiveness. Our study used a prospective‐longitudinal‐dyadic design…
Racial Preferences in the Intimate Sphere Elicit Negative Reactions in Heterosexual Racial Minority and Majority Group Members
Racial preferences are sometimes encountered in the sphere of dating, romance, and sex. Using an experimental design, 100 White American participants and 100 American participants of Color were exposed to a mock dating profile that either contained a disclosure of racial preference (i.e., "White guys/girls only") or did not. Owners of a profile disclosing a racial preference were perceived as more racist, less attractive, and were also rated less…
An Investigation of the Relationship Between Cross-Race Friendships and Attraction
Four studies investigated the link between cross-race friendships and attraction. In Study 1, White Australian participants ( N = 240) who reported friendships with racial outgroup members were more likely to report attraction to the members of the racial group their friends belonged to. Studies 2a ( N = 300 White American participants) and 2b ( N = 303 White British participants) showed that experiences of cross-race non-verbal intimacy, perceiv…
Intimate intergroup contact across the lifespan
Intergroup contact can be as casual as members of different groups walking past one another on the street or as intimate as developing cross‐group friendships or romantic relationships. To date, however, the majority of intergroup contact research has focused on examining the effects of contact through self‐report measures of interactions and friendships. While this research has made a substantial contribution to scientific understanding, less is…
Public perceptions of prejudice research: The double-edged sword faced by marginalized group researchers
Forever Foreign? Asian Australians Assimilating to Australian Culture Are Still Perceived as Less Australian Than White Australians
Westerners of Asian descent emphasize their engagement with national culture to assert their national identity. The present research investigates whether this strategy effectively enhances observers’ perceptions of Asian Westerners’ national identity. In Study 1 ( N = 160), Australian participants evaluated an Asian or White target, manipulated to be either hyper-Australian or not. In Study 2 ( N = 440), targets were additionally manipulated to b…
Discrepancies in East Asians’ perceived actual and ideal phenotypic facial features
The present study tested for the existence of a phenotypic actual-ideal discrepancy in East Asians’ appraisals of their own faces, in the direction of idealizing a phenotypically “Whiter” face than they perceived themselves to have. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, East Asian participants residing in the U.S. (N = 104; Mage = 18.73) came into the lab to have their photograph taken. They were sent a link to complete the s…
Embodied remorse: Physical displays of remorse increase positive responses to public apologies, but have negligible effects on forgiveness
Public apologies struggle to communicate genuineness. Previous studies have shown that, in response to public apologies, perceptions of remorse and levels of forgiveness are often low, while skepticism about motive is high. Furthermore, attempts to reduce mistrust of public apologies by manipulating the verbal component of the message have had limited success. Across 6 studies (combined N = 3,818), we examined whether people respond more positive…
Rejecting equality: Psychological differences between Australian sexual minority men voting “yes,” voting “no,” or abstaining from voting on the legalization of same-sex marriage
In 2017, Australians voted on the legalization of same-sex marriage. Whereas most sexual minority individuals voted in support of same-sex marriage (Yes), some abstained from voting, and a small minority voted against same-sex marriage (No). The present study examined the psychological differences between these three groups in a sample of sexual minority men (N = 1,005). Participants completed a survey assessing their vote in the Australian Marri…
The role of entertainment in engagement with climate change
The blending of entertainment and education is often used as a mechanism for communicating science to the general public. Key to dissemination of scientific information is cognitive engagement of the audience with the content. The authors describe a study investigating the relationship between entertaining videos and cognitive engagement of the viewer on a topic associated with climate change. Two identical videos discussing the science of climat…
The “preference” paradox: Disclosing racial preferences in attraction is considered racist even by people who overtly claim it is not
An Investigation of Positive and Negative Contact As Predictors of Intergroup Attitudes in the United States, Hong Kong, and Thailand
Contact researchers have overlooked (a) the mechanisms that explain the association between negative contact and prejudice, (b) the effects of positive and negative contact on outcomes beyond prejudice, and (c) the importance of testing contact effects cross-culturally. In the present article, we addressed these gaps in the literature by drawing on data from White Americans ( N = 207; Study 1), Hong Kong Chinese ( N = 145; Study 2), and Buddhist …
Intimate intergroup contact across the lifespan
Intergroup contact can be as casual as members of different groups walking past one another on the street or as intimate as developing cross‐group friendships or romantic relationships. To date, however, the majority of intergroup contact research has focused on examining the effects of contact through self‐report measures of interactions and friendships. While this research has made a substantial contribution to scientific understanding, less is…
It's only funny if we say it: Disparagement humor is better received if it originates from a member of the group being disparaged
The “preference” paradox: Disclosing racial preferences in attraction is considered racist even by people who overtly claim it is not
Perpetrator groups can enhance their moral self-image by accepting their own intergroup apologies
Public perceptions of prejudice research: The double-edged sword faced by marginalized group researchers
Rejecting equality: Psychological differences between Australian sexual minority men voting “yes,” voting “no,” or abstaining from voting on the legalization of same-sex marriage
In 2017, Australians voted on the legalization of same-sex marriage. Whereas most sexual minority individuals voted in support of same-sex marriage (Yes), some abstained from voting, and a small minority voted against same-sex marriage (No). The present study examined the psychological differences between these three groups in a sample of sexual minority men (N = 1,005). Participants completed a survey assessing their vote in the Australian Marri…
The role of entertainment in engagement with climate change
The blending of entertainment and education is often used as a mechanism for communicating science to the general public. Key to dissemination of scientific information is cognitive engagement of the audience with the content. The authors describe a study investigating the relationship between entertaining videos and cognitive engagement of the viewer on a topic associated with climate change. Two identical videos discussing the science of climat…
Fifty Shades Flipped: Effects of Reading Erotica Depicting a Sexually Dominant Woman Compared to a Sexually Dominant Man
The present study examined the effects of reading submission- and dominance-themed erotica on attitudes toward women and rape, ideal partner preferences, and subjective sexual arousal. Heterosexual male (n = 241) and female (n = 240) participants read one of three erotic stories depicting male dominance, female dominance, or no dominance, or a fourth nonerotic control story. First, we found that after reading about a sexually dominant man, women …
Health and wellbeing at the intersection of gender modality and ethnicity in Australia
No Asians” Because “No Femmes”? Racial Preferences in Gay White Australian Men and Their Relationship with Preferences for Masculinity and Femininity
The literature examining racial preferences in attraction among sexual minority men in Western contexts illuminates a stable racial hierarchy of desire. Within this hierarchy, White men are generally highly favored, and racially minoritized men are systematically stratified below them in terms of sexual appeal. The present research employed latent class analysis to empirically model gay White men's racial preferences in attraction, allowing us to…
An Extra Set of Bits for Your Fantasy”: A Qualitative Exploration of Bi + Women’s Fetishization Experiences
Stuck in the middle: Men experience countervailing reactions to discussions about misogyny and violence against women
Across three pre-registered studies (total N = 1344), we sought to understand how men react to discussions about violence against women. Initially, we expected that highly identified men would react defensively. That is, exposure to anti-violence advocacy would lead highly identified men to engage in outgroup derogation (i.e., minimise the prevalence of violence against women, exaggerate women’s gender-based privilege), ingroup favouritism (i.e.,…
How We Talk to Kids: Adults Prefer Different Forms of Language for Children Based on Gender Expression
Racial Preferences in the Intimate Sphere Elicit Negative Reactions in Heterosexual Racial Minority and Majority Group Members
Racial preferences are sometimes encountered in the sphere of dating, romance, and sex. Using an experimental design, 100 White American participants and 100 American participants of Color were exposed to a mock dating profile that either contained a disclosure of racial preference (i.e., "White guys/girls only") or did not. Owners of a profile disclosing a racial preference were perceived as more racist, less attractive, and were also rated less…
Embodied remorse: Physical displays of remorse increase positive responses to public apologies, but have negligible effects on forgiveness
Public apologies struggle to communicate genuineness. Previous studies have shown that, in response to public apologies, perceptions of remorse and levels of forgiveness are often low, while skepticism about motive is high. Furthermore, attempts to reduce mistrust of public apologies by manipulating the verbal component of the message have had limited success. Across 6 studies (combined N = 3,818), we examined whether people respond more positive…
(Deviant) Friends With Benefits: The Impact of Group Boundary Permeability on Minority Group Members’ Responses to Ethnic Deviance
Although ethnic deviants are typically disliked, we argue that minority group members may strategically befriend them. In Study 1, Asian and White Australians ( N = 536) read a Facebook profile of an Asian or White target who exhibited either stereotypically Asian or White Australian characteristics. Overall, Asian Australians liked in-group ethnic deviants less than normative in-group targets. However, among Asians who perceived high intergroup …
Perpetrator groups can enhance their moral self-image by accepting their own intergroup apologies
An Investigation of Positive and Negative Contact As Predictors of Intergroup Attitudes in the United States, Hong Kong, and Thailand
Contact researchers have overlooked (a) the mechanisms that explain the association between negative contact and prejudice, (b) the effects of positive and negative contact on outcomes beyond prejudice, and (c) the importance of testing contact effects cross-culturally. In the present article, we addressed these gaps in the literature by drawing on data from White Americans ( N = 207; Study 1), Hong Kong Chinese ( N = 145; Study 2), and Buddhist …
Friends With Moral Credentials: Minority Friendships Reduce Attributions of Racism for Majority Group Members Who Make Conceivably Racist Statements
People commonly reference minority friendships when expressing conceivably prejudiced attitudes. The prevalence of this strategy suggests a widespread belief that having minority friends makes one look less racist, but to date, there is little research demonstrating whether or not this is the case. White and Asian participants were presented with a Facebook profile depicting a White target who posted an anti-Asian statement. Being depicted with A…
Fifty Shades Flipped: Effects of Reading Erotica Depicting a Sexually Dominant Woman Compared to a Sexually Dominant Man
The present study examined the effects of reading submission- and dominance-themed erotica on attitudes toward women and rape, ideal partner preferences, and subjective sexual arousal. Heterosexual male (n = 241) and female (n = 240) participants read one of three erotic stories depicting male dominance, female dominance, or no dominance, or a fourth nonerotic control story. First, we found that after reading about a sexually dominant man, women …
Rejecting equality: Psychological differences between Australian sexual minority men voting “yes,” voting “no,” or abstaining from voting on the legalization of same-sex marriage
In 2017, Australians voted on the legalization of same-sex marriage. Whereas most sexual minority individuals voted in support of same-sex marriage (Yes), some abstained from voting, and a small minority voted against same-sex marriage (No). The present study examined the psychological differences between these three groups in a sample of sexual minority men (N = 1,005). Participants completed a survey assessing their vote in the Australian Marri…
The role of entertainment in engagement with climate change
The blending of entertainment and education is often used as a mechanism for communicating science to the general public. Key to dissemination of scientific information is cognitive engagement of the audience with the content. The authors describe a study investigating the relationship between entertaining videos and cognitive engagement of the viewer on a topic associated with climate change. Two identical videos discussing the science of climat…
The “preference” paradox: Disclosing racial preferences in attraction is considered racist even by people who overtly claim it is not
It's only funny if we say it: Disparagement humor is better received if it originates from a member of the group being disparaged
Forever Foreign? Asian Australians Assimilating to Australian Culture Are Still Perceived as Less Australian Than White Australians
Westerners of Asian descent emphasize their engagement with national culture to assert their national identity. The present research investigates whether this strategy effectively enhances observers’ perceptions of Asian Westerners’ national identity. In Study 1 ( N = 160), Australian participants evaluated an Asian or White target, manipulated to be either hyper-Australian or not. In Study 2 ( N = 440), targets were additionally manipulated to b…
Discrepancies in East Asians’ perceived actual and ideal phenotypic facial features
The present study tested for the existence of a phenotypic actual-ideal discrepancy in East Asians’ appraisals of their own faces, in the direction of idealizing a phenotypically “Whiter” face than they perceived themselves to have. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, East Asian participants residing in the U.S. (N = 104; Mage = 18.73) came into the lab to have their photograph taken. They were sent a link to complete the s…
Embodied remorse: Physical displays of remorse increase positive responses to public apologies, but have negligible effects on forgiveness
Public apologies struggle to communicate genuineness. Previous studies have shown that, in response to public apologies, perceptions of remorse and levels of forgiveness are often low, while skepticism about motive is high. Furthermore, attempts to reduce mistrust of public apologies by manipulating the verbal component of the message have had limited success. Across 6 studies (combined N = 3,818), we examined whether people respond more positive…
Intimate intergroup contact across the lifespan
Intergroup contact can be as casual as members of different groups walking past one another on the street or as intimate as developing cross‐group friendships or romantic relationships. To date, however, the majority of intergroup contact research has focused on examining the effects of contact through self‐report measures of interactions and friendships. While this research has made a substantial contribution to scientific understanding, less is…
Public perceptions of prejudice research: The double-edged sword faced by marginalized group researchers
An Investigation of the Relationship Between Cross-Race Friendships and Attraction
Four studies investigated the link between cross-race friendships and attraction. In Study 1, White Australian participants ( N = 240) who reported friendships with racial outgroup members were more likely to report attraction to the members of the racial group their friends belonged to. Studies 2a ( N = 300 White American participants) and 2b ( N = 303 White British participants) showed that experiences of cross-race non-verbal intimacy, perceiv…
Turning Tables: Offenders Feel Like “Victims” When Victims Withhold Forgiveness
When offenders apologize to victims for a wrongdoing, they often expect forgiveness in return. Sometimes, however, victims may withhold forgiveness. Across four experimental studies, we find that offenders feel like “victims” when victims respond to their apologies with non-forgiveness. This can be explained by the fact that they interpret non-forgiveness as both a norm violation and a threat to their sense of power. Together, these mechanisms ca…
How We Talk to Kids: Adults Prefer Different Forms of Language for Children Based on Gender Expression
Let's talk about this: Co‐rumination and dyadic dynamics of moral repair following wrongdoing
Interpersonal transgressions threaten victims, offenders, and their relationships, often leading the parties to ruminate about the wrongdoing, not only individually but also together, in acts of co‐rumination . We investigate how two forms of co‐rumination—co‐reflection and co‐brooding—influence, or are influenced by, individual rumination and victim forgiveness or offender self‐forgiveness. Our study used a prospective‐longitudinal‐dyadic design…
Racial Preferences in the Intimate Sphere Elicit Negative Reactions in Heterosexual Racial Minority and Majority Group Members
Racial preferences are sometimes encountered in the sphere of dating, romance, and sex. Using an experimental design, 100 White American participants and 100 American participants of Color were exposed to a mock dating profile that either contained a disclosure of racial preference (i.e., "White guys/girls only") or did not. Owners of a profile disclosing a racial preference were perceived as more racist, less attractive, and were also rated less…
Keeping score: Past victimization reduces offenders’ conciliatory sentiments for their present transgressions
Many relationships within which interpersonal transgressions transpire often involve histories of reciprocal wrongdoing, where each party has occupied both the role of victim and offender. We investigate whether past incidents of being wronged by the victim of a present transgression may dampen offenders’ conciliatory sentiments for their present wrongdoing. Across four studies (combined N = 1037), we find evidence that past victimization experie…
Transformative Moral Repair Following Interpersonal Transgressions: Post-Transgression Relationship Growth
Research often views relationship repair through a reparative lens of relationship partners attempting to fix what was damaged or broken by the transgression. We argue here for a transformative lens to view transgressions as potential catalysts for the strengthening of relationships or what we term: post-transgression relationship growth (PTRG). However, we also argue that PTRG is more likely achieved when the transgression is dealt with dyadical…
A Qualitative Exploration of Trans Adults’ Experiences of Engaging with Health Professionals in Australia
Introduction Research demonstrates that trans and gender diverse (trans) individuals often encounter health practitioners who are ill-informed and discriminatory. These experiences contribute to healthcare avoidance, increase the risk of self-harm and suicide, and limit access to gender-affirming care. Methods This qualitative study utilised detailed responses to an open-ended survey question within an online survey ( n = 196) to explore the expe…
An Extra Set of Bits for Your Fantasy”: A Qualitative Exploration of Bi + Women’s Fetishization Experiences
Stuck in the middle: Men experience countervailing reactions to discussions about misogyny and violence against women
Across three pre-registered studies (total N = 1344), we sought to understand how men react to discussions about violence against women. Initially, we expected that highly identified men would react defensively. That is, exposure to anti-violence advocacy would lead highly identified men to engage in outgroup derogation (i.e., minimise the prevalence of violence against women, exaggerate women’s gender-based privilege), ingroup favouritism (i.e.,…
Health and wellbeing at the intersection of gender modality and ethnicity in Australia
Psychology (25 works) · Social Psychology (20 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (11 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Gender Studies (9 works) · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy (9 works) · Developmental psychology (8 works) · Ethnic group (7 works) · Political science (7 works)