Laurie A. Rudman

Last updated
Laurie A. Rudman
Alma mater University of Minnesota
Scientific career
Fields Social psychology
Institutions Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Laurie A. Rudman is a social psychology feminist professor as well as the Director of the Rutgers University Social Cognition Laboratory who has contributed a great deal of research to studies on implicit and explicit attitudes and stereotypes, stereotype maintenance processes, and the media's effects on attitudes, stereotypes, and behavior on the Feminism movement. She was awarded the 1994 Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize (with Eugene Borgida) for her research examining the effects of sexist advertising on men's behavior toward female job applicants.

Contents

Research

Rudman has also produced several significant studies, including "Prescriptive Gender Stereotypes and Backlash Toward Agentic Women", "Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Female Authority" and "Implicit and Explicit Consequences of Exposure to Violent and Misogynous Rap Music". [1] [2] [3]

Rudman's 2007 Sex Roles publication, "The interpersonal power of feminism: Is feminism good for relationships?" was well known in that it made the assertion that feminists make better lovers than non-feminists and sparked a stir in the academic community. Her research challenges stereotypes that feminists are "unattractive, man-haters". [4]

Implicit Gender Stereotypes

One of Rudman's primary interests is in exploring implicit ways of assessing attitudes, stereotypes, self-concept and identity. Rudman's 2001 paper with Anthony Greenwald and Debbie McGhee used the Implicit-association test to investigate implicit self-concept and evaluative implicit gender stereotypes. This paper discussed several experiments exploring these gender stereotypes, and exploring possible reasons for the stereotypes.

Experiment 1 looked at sex differences in gender stereotypes (e.g., men are associated with power and women are associated with warmth). [5] For this experiment, the IAT was used to look at how much male vs female names were associated with power, and how much male vs female names were associated with warmth. The results of this experiment showed an unexpected result that only males associated men with power, and only women associated females with warmth. [6]

Experiment 2 showed dramatically reduced sex differences in gender-power judgments when measures were redesigned to avoid implying that power was positive. [7] To do this, Rudman and her colleagues manipulated the valence (positive, negative, or neutral) of words related to power (like strong, solid, and steel) and weak (like weak, thin, and twig), and again used the IAT to measure associations between these words and males and females. As the meaning of these words changed from negative, to neutral, to positive, the difference between male-power associations and female-power associations lessened, showing that the valence of the word made a difference in gender associations. [8] The results of this study showed a stereotype of males being strong from men and women when the valence of the words (strong vs weak etc.) was removed.

The results of Experiment 3 and 4 suggest that the sex differences in Experiment 2 were due to the tendency to associated the self with desirable traits. [9] These experiments showed correlations between linking the "self" to favorable traits, and linking their gender to the favorable traits as well.

Despite the unexpected sex differences in evaluative gender stereotypes found in the first study, Rudman published their results which resulted in the Balanced Identity Theory which helps explain the surprising results by theorizing that balance-congruity serves to create links between existing identity associations. For instance, “Me” is associated with “good” as well as “female.” Since both “good” and “female” and linked to “Me”, they will develop a link such that “female” is associated more strongly to be “good.” In the context of Rudman’s study, women are more likely to associate strength with female since they are female and likely see themselves as strong, so the association between strength and female is stronger. In this way, perceptions and prejudices are biased towards positive conceptions of ourselves. [10] However, this can also promote dissociations for imbalances in self-identity. For instance, stereotypes such as “male-math”, with their gender identity (“me-female”), can lead to dissociations (me ≠ math) as studied by Nosek, Banaji, and Greenwald (2002). [11]

Selected works

Related Research Articles

The out-group homogeneity effect is the perception of out-group members as more similar to one another than are in-group members, e.g. "they are alike; we are diverse". Perceivers tend to have impressions about the diversity or variability of group members around those central tendencies or typical attributes of those group members. Thus, outgroup stereotypicality judgments are overestimated, supporting the view that out-group stereotypes are overgeneralizations. The term "outgroup homogeneity effect", "outgroup homogeneity bias" or "relative outgroup homogeneity" have been explicitly contrasted with "outgroup homogeneity" in general, the latter referring to perceived outgroup variability unrelated to perceptions of the ingroup.

The implicit-association test (IAT) is an assessment intended to detect subconscious associations between mental representations of objects (concepts) in memory. Its best-known application is the assessment of implicit stereotypes held by test subjects, such as associations between particular racial categories and stereotypes about those groups. The test has been applied to a variety of belief associations, such as those involving racial groups, gender, sexuality, age, and religion but also the self-esteem, political views, and predictions of the test taker. The implicit-association test is the subject of significant academic and popular debate regarding its validity, reliability, and usefulness in assessing implicit bias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confidence</span> State of trusting that a belief or course of action is correct

Confidence is the state of being clear-headed: either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct, or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Confidence comes from the Latin word fidere which means "to trust". In contrast, arrogance or hubris is a state of unmerited confidence—belief lacking evidence and/or a reason. Overconfidence or presumptuousness is excessive belief in success without regard for potential failure. Confidence can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, as those without it may fail because they lack it, and those with it may succeed because they have it rather than because of an innate ability or skill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahzarin Banaji</span> Indian social psychologist (born 1959)

Mahzarin Rustum Banaji FBA is an American psychologist of Indian origin at Harvard University, known for her work popularizing the concept of implicit bias in regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, and other factors.

Aversive racism is a social scientific theory proposed by Samuel L. Gaertner & John F. Dovidio (1986), according to which negative evaluations of racial/ethnic minorities are realized by a persistent avoidance of interaction with other racial and ethnic groups. As opposed to traditional, overt racism, which is characterized by overt hatred for and discrimination against racial/ethnic minorities, aversive racism is characterized by more complex, ambivalent expressions and attitudes nonetheless with prejudicial views towards other races. Aversive racism arises from unconscious personal beliefs taught during childhood. Subtle racist behaviors are usually targeted towards African Americans. Workplace discrimination is one of the best examples of aversive racism. Biased beliefs on how minorities act and think affect how individuals interact with minority members.

Anthony Galt Greenwald is a social psychologist and, since 1986, he is a professor of psychology at University of Washington.

Implicit self-esteem refers to a person's disposition to evaluate themselves in a spontaneous, automatic, or unconscious manner. It contrasts with explicit self-esteem, which entails more conscious and reflective self-evaluation. Both explicit and implicit self-esteem are constituents of self-esteem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stereotype</span> Generalized but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing

In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example, an expectation about the group's personality, preferences, appearance or ability. Stereotypes are often overgeneralized, inaccurate, and resistant to new information. A stereotype does not necessarily need to be a negative assumption. They may be positive, neutral, or negative.

Implicit attitudes are evaluations that occur without conscious awareness towards an attitude object or the self. These evaluations are generally either favorable or unfavorable and come about from various influences in the individual experience. The commonly used definition of implicit attitude within cognitive and social psychology comes from Anthony Greenwald and Mahzarin Banaji's template for definitions of terms related to implicit cognition: "Implicit attitudes are introspectively unidentified traces of past experience that mediate favorable or unfavorable feeling, thought, or action toward social objects". These thoughts, feelings or actions have an influence on behavior that the individual may not be aware of.

In social psychology, self-stereotyping is a process by which an individual integrates and internalizes commonly held characterizations of an in-group into their self-concept. It is described as part of social identity theory (SIT) and, more specifically, self-categorization theory (SCT).

The women-are-wonderful effect is the phenomenon found in psychological and sociological research which suggests that people associate more positive attributes with women when compared to men. This bias reflects an emotional bias toward women as a general case. The phrase was coined by Alice Eagly and Antonio Mladinic in 1994 after finding that both male and female participants tend to assign positive traits to women, with female participants showing a far more pronounced bias. Positive traits were assigned to men by participants of both genders, but to a far lesser degree.

An implicit bias or implicit stereotype is the pre-reflective attribution of particular qualities by an individual to a member of some social out group.

Stereotype embodiment theory (SET) is a theoretical model first posited by psychologist Becca Levy to explain the process by which age stereotypes influence the health of older adults. There are multiple well-documented effects of age stereotypes on a number of cognitive and physical outcomes (including memory, cardiovascular reactivity, and longevity).

Personality judgment is the process by which people perceive each other's personalities through acquisition of certain information about others, or meeting others in person. The purpose of studying personality judgment is to understand past behavior exhibited by individuals and predict future behavior. Theories concerning personality judgment focus on the accuracy of personality judgments and the effects of personality judgments on various aspects of social interactions. Determining how people judge personality is important because personality judgments often influence individuals' behaviors.

Albert Jan "Ap" Dijksterhuis is a Dutch Social Psychologist at Radboud University Nijmegen.

Nilanjana Dasgupta is a social psychologist whose work focuses on the effects of social contexts on implicit stereotypes - particularly on factors that insulate women in STEM fields from harmful stereotypes which suggest that females perform poorly in such areas. Dasgupta is a professor of Psychology and is the Director of the Institute of Diversity Sciences and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Intergroup relations refers to interactions between individuals in different social groups, and to interactions taking place between the groups themselves collectively. It has long been a subject of research in social psychology, political psychology, and organizational behavior.

In social psychology, a metastereotype is a stereotype that members of one group have about the way in which they are stereotypically viewed by members of another group. In other words, it is a stereotype about a stereotype. They have been shown to have adverse effects on individuals that hold them, including on their levels of anxiety in interracial conversations. Meta-stereotypes held by African Americans regarding the stereotypes White Americans have about them have been found to be largely both negative and accurate. People portray meta-stereotypes of their ingroup more positively when talking to a member of an outgroup than to a fellow member of their ingroup.

Association in psychology refers to a mental connection between concepts, events, or mental states that usually stems from specific experiences. Associations are seen throughout several schools of thought in psychology including behaviorism, associationism, psychoanalysis, social psychology, and structuralism. The idea stems from Plato and Aristotle, especially with regard to the succession of memories, and it was carried on by philosophers such as John Locke, David Hume, David Hartley, and James Mill. It finds its place in modern psychology in such areas as memory, learning, and the study of neural pathways.

In social psychology, social projection is the psychological process through which an individual expects behaviors or attitudes of others to be similar to their own. Social projection occurs between individuals as well as across ingroup and outgroup contexts in a variety of domains. Research has shown that aspects of social categorization affect the extent to which social projection occurs. Cognitive and motivational approaches have been used to understand the psychological underpinnings of social projection as a phenomenon. Cognitive approaches emphasize social projection as a heuristic, while motivational approaches contextualize social projection as a means to feel connected to others. In contemporary research on social projection, researchers work to further distinguish between the effects of social projection and self-stereotyping on the individual’s perception of others.

References

  1. Laurie A. Rudman
  2. Laurie A. Rudman's Website
  3. Rutgers: Women in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics- Girl Geeks/My Story
  4. Study: Feminists are better mates - chicagotribune.com
  5. Rudman, L. A.; Greenwald, A. G.; McGhee, D. E. (2001). "Implicit self-concept and evaluative implicit gender stereotypes: Self and ingroup share desirable traits". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 27 (9): 1164–1178. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.43.6589 . doi:10.1177/0146167201279009. S2CID   13491811.
  6. Rudman, L. A.; Greenwald, A. G.; McGhee, D. E. (2001). "Implicit self-concept and evaluative implicit gender stereotypes: Self and ingroup share desirable traits". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 27 (9): 1164–1178. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.43.6589 . doi:10.1177/0146167201279009. S2CID   13491811.
  7. Rudman, L. A.; Greenwald, A. G.; McGhee, D. E. (2001). "Implicit self-concept and evaluative implicit gender stereotypes: Self and ingroup share desirable traits". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 27 (9): 1164–1178. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.43.6589 . doi:10.1177/0146167201279009. S2CID   13491811.
  8. Rudman, L. A.; Greenwald, A. G.; McGhee, D. E. (2001). "Implicit self-concept and evaluative implicit gender stereotypes: Self and ingroup share desirable traits". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 27 (9): 1164–1178. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.43.6589 . doi:10.1177/0146167201279009. S2CID   13491811.
  9. Rudman, L. A.; Greenwald, A. G.; McGhee, D. E. (2001). "Implicit self-concept and evaluative implicit gender stereotypes: Self and ingroup share desirable traits". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 27 (9): 1164–1178. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.43.6589 . doi:10.1177/0146167201279009. S2CID   13491811.
  10. Greenwald, A.G.; Banaji, M.R.; Rudman, L.A.; Farnham, S.D.; Nosek, B.A.; Mellott, D.S. (2002). "A unified theory of implicit attitudes, stereotypes, self-esteem, and self-concept". Psychological Review. 109 (1): 3–25. doi:10.1037/0033-295x.109.1.3. PMID   11863040.
  11. Nosek, B.A.; Banaji, M.R.; Greenwald, A.G. (2002). "Math=male, me=female, therefore math ≠ me". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 83 (1): 44–59. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.463.6120 . doi:10.1037/0022-3514.83.1.44. PMID   12088131. S2CID   204321795.