Why are Gender Stereotypes So Persistent

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Why are Gender Stereotypes So Persistent?

• Anita M. Meehan
• Kutztown University
• Senior Seminar Spring 2005

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Abstract
Stereotypes are slow to change. Meehan and Janik
(1990) found that we tend to ignore inconsistent
information while we simultaneously have better
memory access for information consistent with
traditional stereotypes. Second and fourth
graders estimated how often they saw 54 different
gender-related pictures (see Figures 1 and 2).
In the experiment, all picture types
(nontraditional, traditional, and gender-neutral)
were shown equally often. Meehan and Janik
(1990) argued that stereotypes are a byproduct of
normal cognitive processes that usually help us
to process information efficiently. This poster
describes some of the psychological principles
related to the acquisition and maintenance of
gender stereotypes.
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Contributions from Social Personality Psychology
Social psychology focuses on how others influence
our thoughts and actions. Topics include
attitude formation, person perception, and
impression formation. Stereotypes are sets of
beliefs that we hold about others. We often rely
on stereotypes when we form first impressions and
gender is one of the first things we notice about
a person. Although gender stereotypes have
changed somewhat and gender roles and behaviors
are more androgynous, there is still an
expectation that males will exhibit a masculine
personality and engage in traditional masculine
behaviors whereas females will be feminine in
personality and behavior.
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Contributions from Learning Theory
Stereotypes are learned and their formation
relies on the principle of stimulus
generalization. Anthropologists have studied
cultures with alternative gender roles, although
cross-cultural similarity is more common
(Williams, Bennett, Best, 1975). Stereotypes
are based on frequency information about how
often males are associated with certain stimuli
or behaviors vs. how often females are
associated with the same stimuli or behaviors.
Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and
observational learning all play a role in
acquisition of gendder beliefs and behaviors,
although this doesnt rule out the possibility
that biological differences contribute to some
gender differences in personality and cognition.
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Contributions from Cognitive Psychology
Stereotypes are an example of a cognitive bias
known as illusory correlation (Chapman, 1967).
This occurs when people falsely think that two
events are correlated or think that a weak
correlation is much stronger than it actually is.
Illusory correlations are related to a cognitive
strategy people employ, the availability
heuristic (Tversky Kahneman, 1973). We
estimate frequency based on how available
specific examples are in memory. Memory recall
is affected by the recency and familiarity of
events. For instance, if you can readily think of
examples of males who are doctors, but have a
hard time coming up with female doctors, you
might inaccurately estimate that 90 of
physicians are males and 10 are females.
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Contributions from Sensation Perception
Sensation and Perception chapters in most
introductory textbooks (e.g., Feldman, 2002)
discuss how we recognize objects and people.
Bottom-up processing involves the action of
sensory receptors top-down processing refers to
the role that prior knowledge, context, and
expectations play in stimulus recognition. For
example, I recognize students in my courses more
quickly if I encounter them on campus rather than
off-campus. Stereotypes operate like top-down
processes they help us to understand and
interpret gender-related stimuli we encounter.
We often see what we expect to see and fail to
notice the unexpected.
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Read this sentence.
A bird in the the hand is worth two in the
bush. Notice anything?
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Contributions from Developmental Psychology

A major task of social development is the
acquisition of a culturally appropriate gender
role identity. Children establish their own
gender identity as male or female by age 3 and by
age 5 or 6 they demonstrate extensive knowledge
of cultural gender roles (Kohlberg, 1966).
Consistent with Piagets theory (Inhelder
Piaget, 1958), young children are more literal
and concrete in their gender beliefs and
behaviors. With age, and progress through
concrete and formal operational stages, gender
concepts and behaviors become more flexible and
adaptable across the lifespan.
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References

• Chapman, L. J. (1967). Illusory correlation in
  observational report. Journal of Verbal
  Learning and Verbal Behavior, 6, 151-155.
• Feldman, R. S. (2002). Understanding psychology
  (6th ed.). Boston McGraw-Hill.
• Kohlberg, L. A. (1966). A cognitive-developmenta
  l analysis of childrens sex-role concepts and
  attitudes. In E. E. Maccoby (Ed.). The
  development of sex differences. Stanford, CA
  Stanford University Press.
• Inhelder, B. Piaget, J. (1958). The growth of
  logical thinking from childhood to adolescence.
  New York Basic Books.
• Meehan, A. M. Janik, L. M. (1990). Illusory
  correlation and the maintenance of sex role
  stereotypes in children. Sex Roles, 22, 83-95.

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References
Tversky, A. Kahneman, D. (1973).
Availability A heuristic for judging
frequency and probability. Cognitive Psychology,
5, 207-232. Williams, J. E., Bennett, S. M.
Best, D. L. (1975). Awareness and expression
of sex stereotypes in children. Developmental
Psychology, 11, 635-642.