An Experimental Analysis of Status Processes and Self-Handicapping

研究人员将完成一项试点研究，探讨为什么男性比女性更容易自我设限。 当个人选择他们意识到会抑制未来表现的行为时，他们会自我设限，通常是为了转移对个人能力的注意力。关于自我设限的研究一致发现，在各种年龄组和环境中，男性比女性更容易自我设限。确定这种差异的原因的努力取得了有限的成功。 自我妨碍的性别差异有两种可能的解释。一种解释来自社会化理论。这些理论表明，男性被社会化，比女性更具竞争力。这可能是因为男性更关心表现的评价结果，这导致了更多的自我妨碍行为。地位过程也可以部分解释自我妨碍的性别差异。在美国文化中，在许多情况下，男性往往比女性拥有更高的地位。地位理论表明，高地位群体成员的绩效更高。研究者将进行一项对照实验室研究，以检验来自社会化理论和地位特征理论的预测。PI将随机分配男性和女性参与者到高和低地位组的位置，并测量跨性别和地位的自我妨碍行为。该研究的试点数据将用于向美国国家科学基金会提交一份更大的定期提案。

Jeffrey LucasUniversity of AkronThe investigator will complete a pilot study that examines why men are more likely than females to self-handicap. Individuals self-handicap when they select actions that they are aware will inhibit future performances, usually with the goal of deflecting attention away from one's personal abilities. Research on self-handicapping consistently finds that men are more likely to self-handicap than women across a variety of age groups and settings. Efforts at determining the causes of this difference have met with limited success. There are two potential explanations of the gender difference in self-handicapping. One explanation comes from socialization theories. These theories indicate that males are socialized to be more competitive than females. It may be that males are more concerned with the evaluative outcomes of performances and that this leads to more self- handicapping behaviors. Status processes also may partially account for gender differences in self-handicapping. In US culture in many situations, men tend to have higher status than women do. Theories of status indicate that higher performances are expected from high status group members. The investigator will conduct a controlled laboratory study to test predictions derived from both socialization theories and status characteristics theory. The PI will randomly assign male and female participants to high and low status group positions and measure self- handicapping behavior across gender and status. Pilot data from the study will be used to develop a larger, regular proposal to the National Science Foundation.