Faculty Publications

The Sex Variable And Reactions To The Physically Disabled By Eighth Grade Students

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book/Conference Title

American Corrective Therapy Journal

Volume

35

Issue

2

First Page

48

Last Page

51

Abstract

Eighty eighth-grade students (40 male and 40 female) were tested by an interviewer with a one-leg amputation (handicapped condition) or by an interviewer who appeared normal because he was wearing an artificial limb (non-handicapped condition). A male and female interviewer each tested 10 male and 10 female subjects in the handicapped and nonhandicapped conditions. Six measures were taken for each subject: (1) the distance the subject sat from the experimenter, (2) the subject's willingness to help the experimenter, (3) response time for each of 5 open-ended questions, (4) ratings on 4 categories of questions, (5) the total interview time, and (6) ratings of personal comfort by subjects. The only significant finding was that subjects tested by the female experimenter showed significantly less helping behavior in the handicapped condition. It is suggested that physical disability may be viewed by junior high school students as a greater stigma for females than for males. Predictions that eighth grade students would show more notable reactions than older subjects tested in previous research were not confirmed.

Department

Department of Psychology

Original Publication Date

1-1-1981

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