Skip to main content
Log in

The association between gender scale measures and gender clustering in recall

  • Brief Report
  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Following the study of gender clustering in recall by S. L. Bem [(1981), “Gender Schema Theory: A Cognitive Account of Sex-Typing,” Psychological Review,Vol. 88, pp. 354–364] which formed the basis for gender schema theory, we investigated the association between gender traits (BSRI), gender role attitudes (AWS-B), and the clustering of words by gender in the recall of a list containing four nongender categories and three gender categories. Several alternative clustering measures were used and the extent of gender clustering relative to change was calculated using Z scores. Over all participants (N = 100), there was no association between clustering scores and gender scales within subsamples divided by sex and student/nonstudents. In particular nonstudent men with nontraditional gender attitudes clustered more by gender in recall. Gender clustering was found to be significantly above chance levels for the students but not for the nonstudents. Suggestions are made regarding future research on gender clustering in recall.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

References

  • Archer, J. (1991). A methodological commentary on gender schema research.British Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 185–188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 155–162.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1977). On the utility of alternate procedures for assessing psychological androgyny.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 45, 196–205.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1979). Theory and measurement of androgyny: A reply to the Pedhazur-Tetenbaum and Locksley-Colten critiques.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1047–1054.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1981). Gender schema theory: A cognitive account of sex-typing.Psychological Review, 88, 354–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1985). Androgyny and gender schema theory: A conceptual and empirical integration. In T. B. Sonderegger (Ed.),Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, Vol. 32: Psychology and Gender, pp. 179–226. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard Fields, F., Suhrer-Roussel, L., & Hertzog, C. (1994). A confirmatory factor analysis of the Bem Sex Role Inventory: Old questions, new answers.Sex Roles, 30, 423–457.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cairns, E. (1980). The development of ethnic discrimination in young children in Northern Ireland. In J. Harbison & J. Harbison (Eds.),Children and young people in Northern Ireland: A society under stress. Somerset, UK: Open Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cota, A. A., & Dion, K. L. (1986). Salience of gender and sex composition of ad hoc groups: An experimental test of distinctiveness theory.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 770–776.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deaux, K., Kite, M. E., & Lewis, L. L. (1985). Clustering and gender schemata: An uncertain link.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 11, 387–397.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, V. J., & Spence, J. T. (1987). Gender-related traits, stereotypes, and schemata.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 146–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankel, F., & Cole, M. (1971). Measures of category clustering in free recall.Psychological Bulletin, 76, 39–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hudak, M. A. (1993). Gender schema theory revisited: Men's stereotypes of American women.Sex Roles, 28, 279–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kite, M. E., & Deaux, K. (1986). Gender versus category clustering in free recall: A test of gender schema theory.Representative Research in Social Psychology, 16, 38–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lubinski, D., Tellegen, A., & Butcher, J. N. (1981). The relationship between androgyny and subjective indicators of emotional well-being.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 722–730.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markus, H., Crane, M., Bernstein, S., & Siladi, M. (1982). Self-schemas and gender.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 38–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parry, G. (1983). A British version of the Attitudes towards Women Scale (AWS-B).British Journal of Social Psychology, 22, 261–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Payne, T. J., Connor, J. M., & Colletti, G. (1987). Gender-based schematic processing: An empirical investigation and reevaluation.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 937–945.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renn, J. A., & Calvert, S. L. (1993). The relation between gender schemas and adult's recall of stereotyped and counterstereotyped televised information.Sex Roles, 28, 449–459.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal, R. (1978). Combining results of independent studies.Psychological Bulletin, 85, 185–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Signorella, M. L. (1992). Remembering gender-related information.Sex Roles, 27, 143–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T. (1993). Gender-related traits and gender ideology: Evidence for a multifactorial theory.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 624–635.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T. (1991). Do the BSRI and PAQ measure the same or different concepts?Psychology of Women Quarterly, 15, 141–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T., & Helmreich, R. L. (1978).Masculinity and femininity: Their psychological dimensions, correlates and antecedents. Austin: University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T., Helmreich, R., & Stapp, J. (1973). A short version of the Attitudes toward Women Scale (AWS).Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 2, 219–220.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

We would like to thank Paul Pollard, Ros Bramwell and Janet Spence for helpful discussions of the results and comments on the manuscript.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Archer, J., Smith, J. & Kilpatrick, G. The association between gender scale measures and gender clustering in recall. Sex Roles 33, 299–308 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01544617

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01544617

Keywords

Navigation