Faculty Publications

Children's Perception Of Gender-Based Illusory Correlations: Enhancing Preexisting Relationships Between Gender And Behavior

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Children's attitudes, Gender roles, Gender schema, Recall-learning, Stereotyped attitudes

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Sex Roles

Volume

48

Issue

11-12

First Page

483

Last Page

494

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether children would perceive an illusory correlation between gender and behavior above and beyond the actual relationship between the variables in the stimuli. Second and fourth grade children were presented with a series of pictures of men and women performing gender Stereotypic, counter-stereotypic, and neutral behaviors. One gender (the high frequency gender) performed each behavior twice as often as the other gender. The children made higher frequency estimates for stimuli that matched their expectancies than for stimuli that were neutral or counter to their expectations. Further, they perceived a stronger relationship between gender and behavior for stimuli that were stereotypic for the high frequency gender than for neutral or counter-stereotypic stimuli.

Department

Department of Psychology

Original Publication Date

6-1-2003

DOI of published version

10.1023/A:1023519127547

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