Thesis Type: Doctorate
Institution Of The Thesis: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, Turkey
Approval Date: 2012
Thesis Language: English
Student: TİMUÇİN AKTAN
Supervisor: Nuray Sakallı Uğurlu
Abstract:The present dissertation aims to investigate cognitive and motivational underpinnings of stereotype contents in differing contexts. This dissertation consisted of two related sections. In the first section, comparison was suggested as the cognitive process underlying the implicit competence and warmth attributions toward businesswomen and homemakers. Four studies using Go/No Go Association Task were conducted to investigate the comparison process. Findings of the studies indicated that comparison has a significant impact on implicit mixed stereotypes. Implicit mixed stereotypes were not observed when target groups and attributes were presented in non-comparative context (Study 1). However, implicit stereotype contents were obvious in comparative context (Study 2). Finally, implicit stereotype contents of homemakers and businesswomen were shaped in accordance to the part of the context that was comparative (i.e. group comparison in Study 3 and attribute comparison in Study4). In the second section of the dissertation, comparison process was related to individuals’ compensation tendency. Two studies were conducted to examine the compensation tendency in the framework of System Justification Theory. In the first study (Study 5), presentation order of the target groups was manipulated. By this way, participants were not aware of the second group. Findings indicated that participants tended to compensate their first ratings toward homemakers and businesswomen. Furthermore, ambivalent sexism moderated the compensation tendency. In the second study (Study 6), both groups were presented together. Neither order of presentation nor its interactions were significant. Findings of the studies were discussed in the light of relevant literature.