Sangam: A Confluence of Knowledge Streams

An Examination of the Implicit Comprehension of Gender-Biased Language

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dc.creator Godfrey, Mary E.
dc.date 2012-05-23T19:31:23Z
dc.date 2012-05-23T19:31:23Z
dc.date 2012-05
dc.date.accessioned 2023-02-20T15:14:11Z
dc.date.available 2023-02-20T15:14:11Z
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/10267/13666
dc.identifier.uri http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/251361
dc.description The author granted permission for the digitization of this paper. It was submitted by CD.
dc.description This research investigated individual’s comprehension of gender-biased language by examining implicit (i.e., automatic) associations of generic masculine (GM) terms (e.g., chairman) and their neutral counterparts (e.g., chairperson). Individuals have been taught that GM terms imply inclusion of males and females, yet past research has shown that we do not comprehend these terms as truly inclusive. An implicit priming procedure assessed the activation of masculine and feminine interpretations of GM terms. Female participants listened to sentences containing “prime” terms with a neutral suffix (e.g., –person) or a GM suffix (e.g., –man) that were spoken by either a male or female voice. Following presentation of the prime, participants made a lexical decision response to a male, female, or place target name by pressing the “Yes” key if the target is a real name by pressing the “No” key if the target is not a real name. Target names were presented immediately after the prime (Experiment 1) or 500 ms after (Experiment 2). When the male spoke GM terms, a trend suggested the immediate activation of male associations compared to the presentation of the neutral terms which activated female associations. In contrast, the female speaker neutralized the associations, resulting in immediate male and female activations for the GM and neutral terms. However, 500 ms after the prime, the speaker’s gender became less influential, as seen through the activation of both male and female associations to GM and neutral terms. This research reveals how subtle linguistic markers, such as suffixes, can create implicit gender associations.
dc.description This paper was read and approved by Drs. Katherine K. White, Natalie Person, and Evelyn Perry.
dc.format application/pdf
dc.publisher Memphis, Tenn. : Rhodes College
dc.rights Rhodes College owns the rights to these digital materials which are made available for educational use only and may not be used for any non-educational or commercial purpose. Approved educational uses include private research and scholarship, teaching, and student projects. For additional information please contact archives@rhodes.edu.
dc.subject Text
dc.subject Psychology, Department of
dc.subject Honors papers
dc.subject Student research
dc.title An Examination of the Implicit Comprehension of Gender-Biased Language
dc.type Thesis


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