Threatening the Heart and Mind of Gender Stereotypes: Can Imagined Contact Influence the Physiology of Stereotype Threat?

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorAllen, Benen
dc.contributor.committeechairFriedman, Bruce H.en
dc.contributor.committeememberBell, Martha Annen
dc.contributor.committeememberHarrison, David W.en
dc.contributor.committeememberOllendick, Thomas H.en
dc.contributor.committeememberAxsom, Danny K.en
dc.contributor.departmentPsychologyen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:12:08Zen
dc.date.adate2012-06-04en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:12:08Zen
dc.date.issued2012-05-07en
dc.date.rdate2012-06-04en
dc.date.sdate2012-05-16en
dc.description.abstractResearch shows that when a gender stereotype is made salient and the target of the stereotype is asked to perform in the stereotyped domain, targets of the stereotype often perform at a lower level compared to situations when the stereotype was not made salient (Spencer, Steele, & Quinn, 1999). Current models of stereotype threat show that increased physiological arousal and reduced working memory capacity partially explain this decrement in performance (Ben-Zeev, Fein, & Inzlicht, 2005; Schmader, Johns, & Forbes, 2008). Furthermore, the noticeable absence of female faculty and students in math and science departments at coed universities throughout the United States may increase the belief in gender stereotypes and discourage women from pursuing careers in these fields (Dasgupta & Asgari, 2004). Contact with counter-stereotypical exemplars, such as female science experts, decreases belief in gender stereotypes and increases women's motivation to pursue careers in science (Stout, Dasgupta, Hunsinger, & McManus, 2011). Thus, the present study examined whether imagining an interpersonal interaction with a counter-stereotypic exemplar removes the physiological and performance effects of stereotype threat. However, the stereotype threat manipulation failed to elicit a strong stereotype threat effect on performance or physiology. Only reaction time and high frequency heart rate variability were sensitive to the stereotype threat induction. The imagination manipulation significantly attenuated the physiological effects of stereotype threat, whereas the reaction time effects were only marginally significant. Limitations and future directions for stereotype threat and imagined contact are discussed.en
dc.description.degreePh. D.en
dc.identifier.otheretd-05162012-093537en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05162012-093537/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/27746en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartAllen_Ben_2012.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectimagined contacten
dc.subjectstereotype threaten
dc.subjectbiopsychosocialen
dc.subjectvagal suppressionen
dc.subjectworking memoryen
dc.titleThreatening the Heart and Mind of Gender Stereotypes: Can Imagined Contact Influence the Physiology of Stereotype Threat?en
dc.typeDissertationen
thesis.degree.disciplinePsychologyen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.namePh. D.en

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Allen_Ben_2012.pdf
Size:
586.58 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Doctoral Dissertations