THE INFLUENCE OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN GENDER STEREOTYPING ON THE INTERPERSONAL EXPECTANCY PROCESS (CONFIRMATION, ROLES)

LAURIE LYNN LEWIS, Purdue University

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted that investigated how individual differences in gender stereotyping may affect interpersonal expectancies and shape social interactions. Using Darley and Fazio's (1980) model of expectancy confirmation processes in social interactions as a framework, the experiments sought to answer whether the tendency to stereotype others on the basis of gender would lead to differential expectancies about appropriate behavior for women and men, and whether individuals who are the targets of such expectancies would provide behavioral confirmation of the expectancies. The test of the first stages of the expectancy confirmation model as applied to gender showed that perceivers do form expectancies on the basis of sex, and that they convey these expectancies in the chores assigned to their partner. Individual differences in attitudes toward women's role in society affect these sent expectancies, with more traditional perceivers making a greater distinction between the chores sent to males and females. Female perceivers also made sharper distinctions on the basis of target sex than male perceivers did. The test of the later stages of the expectancy confirmation model showed that targets did not provide behavioral confirmation of the gender stereotypic chore expectancies, and that individual differences and target sex did not affect the tendency to behaviorally confirm. The expectancy message did, however, influence the chores that the target sent to the partner, with the chores sent reciprocating the gender stereotypic linkage of the chores that were received in the expectancy. It appeared that subjects treated the situation as an impression formation task, rather than viewing the expectancy message as self-relevant.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Social psychology

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