성(性)고정관념이 정보처리에 미치는 영향 - 선택적 주의집중을 중심으로 -

The Effects of Sex-Stereotypes on the Information Processing - with the mechanism of the selective attention -

The thesis of the present paper is that the concept of sex-stereotypes is in close connection with the information processing. The stereotypes are assumed to function as schemas that serve to organize and structure informations. We must examine the functions and biases associated with these schemas in order to explain the effects of sex-stereotypes, because the sex schemas are basically bound up with sex-related information processing. To describe the relation between the level of sex stereotyping and the style of the information processing, this study proposes the schematic processing model. The schematic processing model is found to be useful for explaining the many results of the information processing by sex schemas. Subjects of fourth grade (N=48) listen the stories depicting the activities about sex roles. These activities in the test materials consist of the series of events about every day affair, that is, the script. After the listening, memory for activities is measured using a recognition test. As predicted the result in control group revealed the pattern of information distortion through the sex schema responding the items of the unpresented sex role consistent activities. This tendency was systematically decreased by encouraging the subjects to switch the attention toward the event itself in the experimental condition. Such instruction of attention-switching must be made to facilitate the accurate data-driven information processing. There was no sex differences in the both of two conditions (P<. 01). The sex of subjects didn't influence the amount of memory distortion as well as the score of the recognition. Subjects were found to adhere more to their own conceptions of sex-stereotypes in the natural situation rather than the given specific condition. By switching the attention toward the data itself, it must be possible to focus the accurate information not being based on the conception of sex-stereotypes (P<.01). Three major results were found in this study. First, male and female subjects gave sex stereotype responses primarily in the natural situation. Second, the expected sex stereotype relaxation was observed in the attention-switching condition when emphasizing the events. Third, there was no sex differences in the style of information processing. These conclusions suggest that the difference in information processing may be based on not the sex of subjects but the level of sex stereotyping. The results of this study show the critical implication about the possibility of the change in the social prejudice about women. In order to verify the other factors in the information processing based on the sex stereotypes, further research will be necessary through the comparison to this study.