Not Only Top-Down: The Dual-Processing of Gender-Emotion Stereotypes

Abstract

Is gender-emotion stereotype a "one-hundred percent" top-down processing phenomenon, or are there additional contributions to cognitive processing from background clues when they are related to stereotypes? In the present study, we measured the gender-emotion stereotypes of 57 undergraduates with a face recall task and found that, regardless of whether the emotional expressions of distractors were congruent or incongruent with targets, people tended to misperceive the fearful faces of men as angry and the angry faces of women as fearful. In particular, there was a significantly larger effect in the distractor-incongruent condition. The revised process-dissociation procedure analysis confirmed that both automatic and controlled processing have their own independent effects on gender-emotion stereotypes. This finding supports a dual-processing perspective on stereotypes and contributes to future research in both theory and methodology.

Gender Stereotyping of Emotions in Small Businesses and Entrepreneurial Ventures

“…Both forms of stereotypes can be harmful as both create negative responses from peers when individuals fail to fulfill the expectations (Heilman, 2012). When individuals process information, gender is processed first, then emotion (Zhu et al, 2020). Stereotypes do not influence the perception of gender, thus an individual's face is not identified as male or female based on the emotion displayed, rather the emotion displayed is interpreted based on the gender of the individual (Bijlstra et al, 2019;Zhu et al, 2020).…”

“…When individuals process information, gender is processed first, then emotion (Zhu et al, 2020). Stereotypes do not influence the perception of gender, thus an individual's face is not identified as male or female based on the emotion displayed, rather the emotion displayed is interpreted based on the gender of the individual (Bijlstra et al, 2019;Zhu et al, 2020). Gender-emotion stereotyping is generally considered an automatic process, but evidence from how individuals process information suggests there is a control factor (Zhu et al, 2020).…”

“…Stereotypes do not influence the perception of gender, thus an individual's face is not identified as male or female based on the emotion displayed, rather the emotion displayed is interpreted based on the gender of the individual (Bijlstra et al, 2019;Zhu et al, 2020). Gender-emotion stereotyping is generally considered an automatic process, but evidence from how individuals process information suggests there is a control factor (Zhu et al, 2020). However, considering socially acceptable displays of emotion are engrained during early childhood, it is not surprising that many instinctively overapply stereotypes (Parkins, 2012).…”

“…Women are not expected to display all types of emotion more often than men all the time. Instead, women are expected to appropriately display emotions such as sadness, happiness, fear, jealousy, surprise, embarrassment, shame, and guilt in communal contexts (Brescoll, 2016;Durik et al, 2006;Fabes & Martin, 1991;Fischbach et al, 2015;Zhu et al, 2020). Men are expected to display other emotions such as anger, contempt, disgust, and pride within individual context (Brescoll, 2016;Durik et al, 2006;Fabes & Martin, 1991;Fischbach et al, 2015;Zhu et al, 2020).…”

“…Instead, women are expected to appropriately display emotions such as sadness, happiness, fear, jealousy, surprise, embarrassment, shame, and guilt in communal contexts (Brescoll, 2016;Durik et al, 2006;Fabes & Martin, 1991;Fischbach et al, 2015;Zhu et al, 2020). Men are expected to display other emotions such as anger, contempt, disgust, and pride within individual context (Brescoll, 2016;Durik et al, 2006;Fabes & Martin, 1991;Fischbach et al, 2015;Zhu et al, 2020). This gendered stereotyping of emotion is subject to confirmation bias, meaning that people tend to align with them in their own behavior, expect others to do the same, and interpret ambiguous expressions of emotion according to the stereotypes (Plant et al, 2000;Zigerell, 2017).…”