Article

Gender differences in automatic in-group bias: why do women like women more than men like men?

Department of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Impact Factor: 5.08). 11/2004; 87(4):494-509. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.87.4.494
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Four experiments confirmed that women's automatic in-group bias is remarkably stronger than men's and investigated explanations for this sex difference, derived from potential sources of implicit attitudes (L. A. Rudman, 2004). In Experiment 1, only women (not men) showed cognitive balance among in-group bias, identity, and self-esteem (A. G. Greenwald et al., 2002), revealing that men lack a mechanism that bolsters automatic own group preference. Experiments 2 and 3 found pro-female bias to the extent that participants automatically favored their mothers over their fathers or associated male gender with violence, suggesting that maternal bonding and male intimidation influence gender attitudes. Experiment 4 showed that for sexually experienced men, the more positive their attitude was toward sex, the more they implicitly favored women. In concert, the findings help to explain sex differences in automatic in-group bias and underscore the uniqueness of gender for intergroup relations theorists.

0 Bookmarks
 · 
157 Views
  • [Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Lay beliefs about the causes of common mental health conditions may perpetuate stigmatizing attitudes toward individuals with mental illness. Furthermore, some of these beliefs may be subject to intergroup membership bias based on gender congruence, as depression is more prevalent in women and alcohol dependence is more prevalent in men. Respondents listened to a vignette portraying an individual with depression or alcohol dependence and were asked how likely the vignette character's (X's) symptoms were due to the following causes: X's bad character, genetics, stress, the way X was raised, and the normal ups and downs of life. Respondents endorsed bad character as a more likely cause of alcohol dependence compared to depression, but this was stronger for women respondents. Men, on the other hand, were more likely to endorse bad character as a cause of depression compared to women. A trend suggested that the overall tendency for alcohol to be attributed to genetics more than depression was stronger for men, whereas women endorsed genetics as a more likely cause of depression than men. Finally, men were significantly more likely to attribute characters' symptoms to the normal ups and downs of life compared to women. Overall, these patterns suggest gender differences in attitudes about the underlying causes of alcohol dependence and depression that may be consistent with intergroup membership bias. Anti-stigma interventions aimed at reducing bias toward individuals with these common, gender-typical disorders should consider adapting strategies to target intergroup membership bias.
    International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 08/2014; 12(4):395-405. DOI:10.1007/s11469-013-9465-y · 0.95 Impact Factor
  • Source
    [Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Based on the frameworks of dual-process theories, we examined the interplay between intuitive and controlled cognitive processes related to moral and social judgments. In a virtual reality (VR) setting we performed an experiment investigating the progression from fast, automatic decisions towards more controlled decisions over multiple trials in the context of a sacrificing scenario. We repeatedly exposed participants to a modified ten-to-one version and to three one-to-one versions of the trolley dilemma in VR and varied avatar properties, such as their gender and ethnicity, and their orientation in space. We also investigated the influence of arousing music on decisions. Our experiment replicated the behavioral pattern observed in studies using text versions of the trolley dilemma, thereby validating the use of virtual environments in research on moral judgments. Additionally, we found a general tendency towards sacrificing male individuals which correlated with socially desirable responding. As indicated by differences in response times, the ten-to-one version of the trolley dilemma seems to be faster to decide than decisions requiring comparisons based on specific avatar properties as a result of differing moral content. Building upon research on music-based emotion induction, we used music to induce emotional arousal on a physiological level as measured by pupil diameter. We found a specific temporal signature displaying a peak in arousal around the moment of decision. This signature occurs independently of the overall arousal level. Furthermore, we found context-dependent gaze durations during sacrificing decisions, leading participants to look prolonged at their victim if they had to choose between avatars differing in gender. Our study confirmed that moral decisions can be explained within the framework of dual-process theories and shows that pupillometric measurements are a promising tool for investigating affective responses in dilemma situations.
    Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 12/2014; 8:426. DOI:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00426 · 4.16 Impact Factor
  • Source
    [Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: A basic principle of objectification theory is that a mere glance from a stranger represents the potential to be sexualized, triggering women to take on the perspective of others and become vigilant to their appearance. However, research has yet to document gendered gaze patterns in social groups. The present study examined visual attention in groups of varying gender composition to understand how gender and minority status influence gaze behavior. One hundred undergraduates enrolled in psychology courses were photographed, and an additional 76 participants viewed groupings of these photographs while their point of gaze was recorded using a remote eye-tracking device. Participants were not told that their gaze was being recorded. Women were viewed more frequently and for longer periods of time than men in mixed-gender groups. Women were also more likely to be looked at first and last by observers. Men spent more time attending to pictures of women when fewer women were in the group. The opposite effect was found for pictures of men, such that male pictures were viewed less when fewer pictures of men were in the group. Female observers spent more time looking at men compared to male observers, and male observers spent more time looking at women than female observers, though both female and male observers looked at women more than men overall. Consistent with objectification theory, women's appearance garners more attention and interest in mixed-gender social groups.
    Frontiers in Psychology 01/2014; 5:1569. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01569 · 2.80 Impact Factor

Full-text

Download
602 Downloads
Available from
May 22, 2014