Priming Gender-based Status Beliefs: Self-Relevance, Stereotypes, and Schemas

University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, Charlotte NC

Investigators

Abstract

We know that in collective task situations, men tend to be more resistant to influence from an opposite sex partner than women are. Also, when members of mixed-sex decision-making groups are non-consciously "primed" with images that challenge cultural gender stereotypes, people are less likely to act as if such stereotypes are accurate, and the magnitude of gender inequality can be reduced. Conversely, when group members are primed with images that support cultural gender stereotypes, the magnitude of gender inequality increases. What we do not know is why this occurs. This study will test three possible explanations: i) men and women may require targeted primes that convey self-relevant status information; ii) whereas men tend to process only gender-related information relevant to masculine gender expectations, women may respond to information relevant to both masculine and feminine gender expectations; and iii) the behaviors of individuals in higher-status positions may reflect a self-serving bias whereby they ignore situational cues that threaten their privileged position. Understanding the mechanisms driving differences between men and women in terms of processing and responding to gender stereotypes is an essential step in developing interventions to reduce inequality. Furthermore, insights from this study are of potential importance for developing interventions aimed at mitigating the negative effects of other forms of status beliefs (e.g., racial inequality). The proposed study involves an eight-condition laboratory experiment examining how priming effects enhance or impede the cognitive categorization of interaction partners and affect judgments about relative status and competence. Prior to interacting, participants will complete a cognitive priming task, which involves viewing a series of photographs that convey visual signals that either support or challenge dominant cultural stereotypes regarding male competence and agency. Following the priming task, participants will complete a seemingly unrelated collective decision-making task either with a same-sex partner or an opposite sex partner. This task will allow assessment of how the cognitive primes affect group outcomes: specifically openness to influence. Hypotheses suggest that priming group members with stereotype-consistent images will increase inequality of influence between men and women, and that priming with stereotype-inconsistent images will reduce inequality. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.