Essay Questions

Question

1. Explain what scholars have learned so far about how gender affects perception and the effects of operating under gendered stereotypes.
[Model Answer] Gender socialization accents differences rather than similarities in how the genders communicate. Believing common stereotypes about how men and women communicate leads to further misunderstandings because we expect to find little common ground. The answer can be found on pages 58 - 59.

Question

2. Explain the benefits and drawbacks of stereotyping and how it affects communication.
[Model Answer] By stereotyping, we make overly simplistic interpersonal impressions about others. We stereotype because it streamlines the perception process; however, it leads to more flawed impressions of others, especially because we rarely question the accuracy of our stereotypes. The answer can be found on pages 65 - 66.

Question

3. Explain the halo and horn effects and their relationship to internal and external attributes.
[Model Answer] The halo and horn effects explain our tendency to form either positive (halo) or negative (horn) impressions of others based on our initial Gestalt of them. A positive Gestalt would therefore result in a halo effect, while a negative Gestalt would result in a horn effect. When a person we admire behaves positively, we perceive that action to stem from an internal attribution—something related to the person’s character. When the same person behaves inappropriately, our tendency is to assign an external attribution to explain it. Interestingly, the horn effect causes the reverse to be true when we evaluate the positive and negative behaviors of a person with a negative Gestalt. The answer can be found on pages 64 - 65.

Question

4. Discuss the five steps involved in the perception-checking process.
[Model Answer] Perception-checking is an intentional process that requires the following steps: (1) checking your punctuation, or structuring information into a chronological sequence that matches your experience; (2) checking your knowledge about the meaning of another’s words or actions; (3) checking your attributions to ensure you’re not assuming another’s actions stem from internal causes; (4) checking your perceptual influences for those related to gender, culture, or perceptions of the other being an ingrouper or an out grouper, and (5) checking your impressions of the other person to ensure they’re not based on incorrect Gestalts, stereotypes, or incorrect data. The answer can be found on pages 69 - 70.