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Brooks, R. M., Chumney, F. L., Gilmer, K. S., Hobbs, C. D., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Personality and reasons to use the Internet to find dates. Poster session accepted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA. |
| Abstract: As the capabilities and accessibility of the Internet has increased over the past ten years, so has its potential in establishing and sustaining personal relationships. Today, more than ten thousand dating sites are maintained in the U. S. alone; their memberships and user rates have increased significantly over recent years. The primary objective of the present research was to explore the influence of relationship experience and various personality characteristics on an individual’s decision to use Internet chat rooms and dating services to find potential relationship partners. Negative experiences with previous dating partners and fear of rejection were expected to be significantly related to the choice to use the Internet as a dating service. Introversion and self-esteem were also hypothesized to relate significantly to an individual’s attitudes toward Internet dating. Additionally, a positive and significant correlation between sexual permissiveness and adversarial heterosexual beliefs was expected for men, but not women. More than 120 participants completed a set of questionnaires designed to assess their attitudes toward and reasons for using the Internet as a means of contacting individuals for potential dating or sexual relationships. A web-based participant pool facilitated data collection, and all participants completed the same set of surveys. This study included measures of self-presentation in web media, familiarity with web media, sociosexuality orientation, sexual permissiveness, adversarial heterosexual beliefs, and demographic variables including sex, age, and perceived socioeconomic status during childhood and adolescence. The measure of self-presentation in web media and familiarity with web media was a survey created for this study and designed to measure ability to deal with rejection, relationship history, comfort with using the Internet to meet other people, and global attitudes toward Internet dating. Preliminary data analysis supports the primary hypothesis of this research; individuals who reported a more positive attitude toward Internet dating also reported more negative experiences with past relationships and a significantly higher fear of rejection, relative to participants who were not as receptive of the possibility of Internet dating. The second hypothesis was partially confirmed by the preliminary analysis. Introversion was found to correlate significantly and positively with positive attitudes toward Internet dating for men and women, but this relationship was only found for self-esteem among women participants. A significant difference between men and women was found on overall positive attitudes toward Internet dating. Discussion will include results of further data exploration and analyses. |
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Chumney, F. L. & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Adaptation of a scale to measure prejudice toward ethnic minorities. Poster session accepted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA. |
| Abstract: The cultural climate of the United States has changed drastically over the past few decades (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000), as has the importance placed on understanding the prejudice that has accompanied the growth of minority groups (Dixon & Linz, 2000; Forgas & O’Driscoll, 1984). A sizeable body of research has focused on studying prejudice toward specific minority ethnic groups, particularly Black or African-American and Latino. For instance, Case (2002) measured prejudice toward African Americans with a seven-item instrument adapted by O’Bryan, Fishbein, and Ritchey (1999) from McConahay’s (1986) Modern Racism and Old Fashioned Racism scales. The primary objective of this research was to adapt an existing measure of prejudice toward a specific ethnic minority group for measurement of prejudice toward ethnic minorities in general. Reliability and external validity were evaluated in a series of three studies. It was hypothesized that fewer items would be necessary when a specific ethnic group was not identified by the survey items; because the scale was attempting to measure prejudice toward minorities in general, there would be less need to include items designed to conjure strong attitudes or feelings toward a specific group. The original items presented by Case (2002) were reworded; terms identifying the target group as “African-American” were removed in favor of the term “ethnic minority.” One item was not used because its content related specifically to the historical context of Blacks in the U. S., particularly in the southeastern area of the country. In Study 1, 131 undergraduates completed this new version of the prejudice measure and a short demographics questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis of the six items indicated four items loading on a single factor which accounted for 63% of the total variance, with factor loadings ranged from .748 to .824. Confirmatory factor analysis with the data from Study 1 supported the four-item, one-factor model (Cronbach’s a = .80). This model was also supported by the calculation of chi-square (p = .14) and Goodness of Fit (.98) statistics. Study 2 consisted of 202 participants who completed the four-item measure of prejudice developed in Study 1, the affirmation and belonging and other-group orientation subscales of Phinney’s (1992) Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), and a demographics questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis on the data collected in Study 2 was consistent with the results of Study 1 (a = .78). Furthermore, significant and negative correlations were found between the new prejudice measure and privilege awareness, and the new measure and other-group orientation (Phinney, 1992). Study 3 also revealed an acceptable reliability statistic (a = .81) for the new measure. The 238 undergraduates who participated in Study 3 completed all subscales of the MEIM, the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick & Fiske, 2001), and several other well-known measures of prejudice, in addition to the measures used in the previous study. The results of the third study were consistent with those found in Study 2, in terms of relationships with other measures. The findings of the present research are a step toward examining prejudices toward ethnic minorities as a general problem. Such a move toward addressing issues of prejudice toward ethnic minorities other than Black, Latino, and Asian are necessary in light of the social and cultural factors which have come to the fore in social cognition since the events of September 11, 2001. Details of the three studies will be presented and discussed further. |
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Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Ethnicity and Gender: Relationship of Two Stereotype Categories. Poster session submitted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the Association for Psychology Science, New York, NY. |
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Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Stereotype Content Analysis for Arab, Black, and White Categories. Accepted for combined poster and paper presentation at the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Psychological Association, Atlanta, GA. |
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Chumney, F. L., Lamb, J. A., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Correlates of ethnocultural empathy. Poster session accepted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA. |
| Abstract: Research concerning the development and existence of ethnocultural empathy has become increasingly important, as the ethnic and racial composition of the U. S. has changed to include more minority members than ever before (U. S. Census Bureau, 2001). Ethnocultural empathy may be defined simply as empathy focused on members of ethnic groups other than one’s own. In the years since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, ethnocultural empathy has moved to the forefront of research concerning minority issues and intergroup functions in this country. The primary objective of the present research was to evaluate ethnocultural empathy as it exists in the southeastern region of the U. S. Confirmatory factor analysis was expected to support the four-factor structure of the ethnocultural empathy measure identified by Wang (2003), who labeled the four subscales: Acceptance of Cultural Differences, Empathetic Feeling and Expression, Empathetic Perspective Taking, and Empathetic Awareness. Acceptance of Cultural Differences is similar to the other-group orientation measure developed by Phinney (1992); both scales are designed to assess positive feelings toward and acceptance of cultures other than one’s own. Empathetic Feeling and Expression is accurately defined as the communication and expression of prejudiced and discriminatory feelings. Empathetic Awareness is similar to White privilege awareness in that both concepts attempt to examine how aware an individual is of the experiences had by individuals outside their primary social group, whereas Empathetic Perspective Taking is thought to measure effort to understand individuals from those other backgrounds. Consistent with the basic tenets of ethnocultural empathy, scores on the ethnocultural empathy scale were expected to correlate significantly and positively with other-group orientation (Phinney, 1992), modern racism, and White privilege awareness (Case, 2004). Furthermore, a significant and negative relationship between ethnocultural empathy and prejudice toward minorities (Chumney, 2005) was expected. Two hundred thirty-two undergraduates completed a set of web-based surveys including the measure of ethnocultural empathy, prejudice toward minorities, privilege awareness, modern and old-fashioned racism, other-group orientation and affirmation and belonging subscales of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (Phinney, 1992), two measures of desirable responding, and demographic information. Data analysis supported the four-factor model of this measure; internal reliability ratings were acceptable for the four subscales (Cronbach’s a = .71 to .90) as well as the overall measure (a = .91). The four subscales were found to correlate significantly and positively with the overall scale (r = .626 to .942; p < .01). The overall structure of the measure was similar to that found by Wang (2003), except that more robust correlations were found between the Acceptance of Cultural Differences subscale and both the Empathetic Perspective Taking and the Empathetic Feeling and Expression subscales in the present study than had been reported in previous research. Our secondary hypotheses were supported by data analysis as well: the four subscales of the ethnocultural empathy measure were found to correlate significantly and negatively with prejudice toward minorities. Positive correlations were found between the ethnocultural empathy subscales and modern racism and privilege awareness. The observed means and standard deviations for the ethnocultural empathy measure and its four related subscales were found to be lower in the present research than has been previously reported using this measure. These differences support the hypothesis that regional differences may exist when comparing the southeastern states to students in western or midwestern universities. Further data analysis, including desirable responding, will be reported and discussed. |
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Ferguson, K. L., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Family communication, personality influences, and parent predictions of risky behavior. Poster session submitted for presentation at the Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, New York, NY. |
| Abstract: Substance use and unsafe sexual practices are substantiated concerns in regards to the college student population. Research by Engs, Hanson, and Glassco has found the use of alcohol among the college population to fall between 82 and 85% (as cited in Garvin, Alcorn, & Faulkner, 1990) while at least 75% of college students usually report being sexually active (Poulson, Eppler, Satterwhite, Wuensch, & Bass, 1998). Throughout many years of research, these behaviors have been attributed to many influences, including personality, biological, demographic, social, and cultural factors (Raffaelli & Green, 2003). A better understanding of the influences on college students’ drinking and drug use behaviors can lead to more effective education to curb dangerous substance use patterns and beliefs (Reis & Riley, 2000) as well as to understand and prevent risky sexual behaviors. Thus, the purpose of the present study is to examine the influence of two possible predictors of college students’ involvement in substance use and sexual activity. For this study, family communication and personality were chosen for comparison as these are considered to be the earliest, and thus longest-lasting, influences to which students are exposed that may have bearing on the decisions they make about alcohol and drug use as well as sexual behaviors. Due to reported decreases in family communication as the child approaches young adulthood (Noller & Bagi, 1985; as cited in Mazur & Hubbard, 2004), it was hypothesized that personality would be a stronger predictor of college students’ substance use and sexual activity by college students’ ratings. Participants were undergraduate students and their parents. Each was asked to complete the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (Barnes & Olson, 1985) to assess their perceived patterns of family communication. Additionally, students and parents were asked to rate the students’ degree of involvement in substance use and sexual activity as well as his/her personality. Preliminary data analyses suggest personality factors are more significant in relationship to college students’ behaviors by student ratings while family communication was the more significant factor by parent ratings. Further, parents tended to underestimate their child’s experiences with substances and sexual activity. They also reported higher levels of family communication than did their child. These findings bring attention to areas where intervention efforts may be most needed and influential. Additional findings and implications will be discussed. |
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Gilmer, K., Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). A Candid Look at Pornography Use and Sexual Behaviors Among College Students. Poster session submitted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the Association for Psychology Science, New York, NY. |
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Heber, L., Ferguson, K. L., Karako, K., Welsh, M., Abraham, J., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Family communication in relation to the sexual activity of college students. Poster session submitted for presentation at the Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, New York, NY. |
| Abstract: Sexual curiosity is common among adolescents (Fitzharris & Werner-Wilson, 2004). However, college students’ engagement in sexual activity is likely to be of much concern as 8 of 10 traditional aged college students reported having had sexual intercourse in a study conducted by Douglas et al. (1997). Additionally, few of these students report engaging in safe sex despite have multiple sexual partners (Douglas et al.; Poulson, Eppler, Satterwhite, Wuensch, & Bass, 1998). Parent-child communication can be particularly important in influencing adolescent risky behavior by helping and encouraging adolescents to make responsible decisions regarding sexual matters (Fitzharris & Werner-Wilson, 2004; Rodgers, 1999; as cited in Wilson & Donenberg, 2004). In regards to sexual behavior, adolescents who have engaged in sexual intercourse report lower levels of communication with their parents than adolescents who were still virgins (Karofsky, Zeng, & Kosorok, 2000). The purpose of this study was to examine the influence and levels of family communication in relation to college students’ sexual activity, particularly for those engaging in risky sexual behaviors. Participants were undergraduates recruited through an online participant pool. They were asked to complete the Parent-Adolescent Family Communication Scale: Adolescent Form (Barnes & Olson, 1985) and a questionnaire examining their history, beliefs, and attitudes pertaining to sexual activity. Preliminary data analyses support the idea that family communication is significantly related to college students’ sexual activity and risky practices. Particularly, students who reported higher levels of family communication were less likely to have multiple partners and more likely to practice safe sex. Gender differences were also examined and found to be significant. These and other findings will be discussed in greater detail. Based on these findings, intervention and prevention programs could be developed focusing on the involvement of students and their parents, community, and school. |
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Hicks, J., Ferguson, K. L., Heather, H. R., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Child-parent communication effect on the alcohol and drug use of college students. Poster session submitted for presentation at the Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, New York, NY. |
| Abstract: College is a time for emerging young adults to explore their world and themselves (Shearer, Hosterman, Gillen, & Lefkowitz, 2005). One particular area of exploration may involve the students’ social world, particularly those aspects involving alcohol and drugs. Alcohol abuse has become a major problem on many campuses with binge drinking (5 or more drinks for men; 4 or more drinks for women at one time) becoming increasingly prevalent as roughly 1 in 4 students endorse frequent binge drinking (Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, & Lee, 2000). Likewise, drug use is surprisingly prevalent among college students. Wolfson (1999) found that 65 of 100 students had used marijuana only or marijuana and other drugs while only 34 students reported not using drugs. Parent-adolescent communication within the family may be of particular importance on college students’ potentially risky behavior. Several studies indicate that family communication is negatively correlated with adolescent substance use (as cited in Hartos & Power, 2000). However, according to Larson and Richards (1994), the family’s influence on a child’s behavior begins to diminish during adolescence, as the child is moving towards establishing independence and autonomy (as cited in Mazur & Hubbard, 2004). This may be particularly so as the child enters college and leaves the regular guidance of the parents. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to assess the influence of family communication on college students’ alcohol and drug use, including risky involvement with these factors. Participants were undergraduate students at a southeastern university recruited through an online participant pool. Students completed the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale: Adolescent Form (Barnes & Olson, 1985) and a series of questionnaires assessing their history, attitudes, and beliefs regarding various substances. A preliminary examination of the data suggests that students who reported higher levels of family communication also reported less involvement with substances, especially in regards to risky practices. In this regard, non-drinking students reported higher levels of family communication than students who reported any drinking behavior. Similar results were indicated for drug users and non-users. Significant differences were also revealed between mother-child communication and father-child communication as they related to college students’ behaviors. Findings could be used to encourage continued and increasing levels of communication between parents and children as the child reaches young adulthood and leaves the home. Additional results and implications will be discussed in further detail. |
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Hobbs, C. D., Gilmer, K. S., Brooks, R. M., Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Self-presentation and intentions in Internet dating. Poster session accepted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA. |
| Abstract: Substantial research over the past five years has established the idea that men and women sometimes use the Internet to contact potential partners to augment or substitute for their real-life sex lives (Schwartz & Southern, 2000; Young et al., 2000). Supporting research suggests that men are more likely to use the Internet as a means of instigating sexual relationships than are women, particularly for men who have experienced more rejection and negative social interactions in general (Benotsch et al., 2002), even when a current, real-life relationship is put in jeopardy because of the development of and Internet relationship (Schneider, 2002). The primary, overarching objective of this study was to explore the accuracy with which individuals present themselves when establishing a dating profile on a website, relative to the type of relationships they are seeking. The researchers hypothesized that men and women seeking short-term, sex-based relationships would present their physical and personality characteristics with less accuracy than would individuals seeking a long-term relationship. This pattern of results was expected for both men and women participants, but differences based on the type of relationship being sought were hypothesized to be more robust for women than men. This hypothesis was based on the findings of previous research, which indicate women are generally less satisfied with their physical appearance than are men. Data for this study was collected from approximately 150 participants via a web-based participant pool. Survey items included measures of self-presentation in web media, familiarity with web media, sociosexuality orientation, sexual permissiveness, adversarial heterosexual beliefs, and demographic variables including sex, age, and perceived socioeconomic status during childhood and adolescence. The measure of self-presentation in web media and familiarity with web media was a survey created for this study and designed to measure ability to deal with rejection, relationship history, comfort with using the Internet to meet other people, and global attitudes toward Internet dating. Preliminary data analysis supports the hypothesis that men and women are more likely to present themselves inaccurately when searching for a sexual fling than when seeking a meaningful relationship. A significant gender difference in misrepresentation was found; women are more likely to inaccurately report more characteristics than are men. The numbers of characteristics women are willing to lie about correlated significantly and positively with dissatisfaction with physical and personality traits. A similar correlation was found for men, but was not significant. Further data analysis and an extensive discussion of the possible implications and future directions of this research will be discussed. |
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Holt, J. L. (n.d.). Intimate violence: The effects of family, threatened egotism, and reciprocity. Poster session accepted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA. |
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Hyder, H. R., Chumney, F. L., Snyder, J. M., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Sexual objectification of female professors. Poster session accepted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA. |
| Abstract: Over the past thirty years, women have earned respect in the field of academia. Not only are more women receiveing undergraduate and graduate degrees, but the number of women who teach in colleges and universities has grown significantly during this time. In fact, women have established a presence in many different professional fields over the past decades. Despite this hard work and dedication, sexism still abounds, particularly in situations when men feel dominated by women. The objective of the present research was to identify the extent to which undergraduates sexually objectify professors to maintain their perception of a balance of power in the classroom, and to explore the relationship between the tendency to sexually objectify professors and various other personality measures. It was hypothesized that, although women would report more instances of fantasizing about same-sex and opposite-sex professors than did men, men would report that such sexual objectification of a professor is more likely to happen when that professor is a woman, and when she commands respect and authority in the classroom. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that men who sexually objectify professors would report higher instances of objectifying women in general, as measured by self-report items concerning the role, personality traits, and physical attributes assigned to the self and sexual partners within the context of a sexual fantasy. The participant group of the present study consisted of 158 (112 women, 46 men) undergraduate students at a mid-sized university. Participants completed the study online via a web-based participant pool in exchange for modest point credit in social science courses. The survey set completed by each participant included a sexual behaviors and fantasies questionnaire, the Maudsley Violence Questionnaire (Walker, 2005), the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick & Fiske, 2001), measures of rape myth acceptance and adversarial heterosexual beliefs, the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (Paulhus, 1981), and a demographics questionnaire including sex, age, academic standing, perceived socioeconomic status of home raised in, marital status, ethnicity, and religious preference. The sexual behaviors and fantasies questionnaire was created for this study and was designed specifically to gather information about the extent to which professors (particularly female professors) are sexually objectified by students as a means of creating a balance of power in the classroom, at least according to the student’s perceptions. Women reported more instances of fantasizing about members of the same sex, while men reported more fantasies involving a member of the opposite sex or a professor of the same sex; however, these differences were not significant. A significant gender difference was found for the frequency with which opposite-sex professors are included in sexual fantasies; men reported both having fantasized about a larger number of female professors many more times than women reported for either male or female professors (t = 3.537; p = .001). The results of this research are relevant to the issues of education and social functioning. The idea that young adult men still feel threatened by a strong woman is disconcerting. Future research into this and related fields may produce insights into how American society might work together to overcome this aversion to independent, dominant women. The results of further data analysis and social implications will be discussed. |
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Lamb, J. A., Chumney, F. L., Gilmer, K. S., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Color-blind racial attitudes in the southeast. Poster session accepted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA. |
| Abstract: Color-blind racial attitudes (CoBRAS) have come to be one of the most accepted theories of modern racial attitudes. The basis of CoBRAS is the belief that race should not and does not matter in today’s world. Racial prejudice does, however, exist today despite the efforts people make to respond without prejudice (Plant & Devine, 1998). For this reason, the assertion that race does not matter has yet to be supported by empirical evidence. The earliest research designed to examine color-blind racial attitudes specifically was conducted to establish a connection between CoBRAS and prejudice. In this research, Carr (1997) found evidence to support a positive correlation between color-blind racial attitudes and prejudice. Neville et al. (2000) developed the first psychometrically sound measure to study color-blind racial attitudes; this measure was developed using university students at Midwestern and West Coast universities, and was identified as having a three-factor structure. These factors were labeled Racial Privilege (7 items; a = .83), Institutional Discrimination (7 items; a = .81), and Blatant Racial Issues (6 items; a = .76). The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate this first measure of CoBRAS with a sample of university students from the southeast region of the U. S. Subtle differences in factor structure and subscale correlations were expected because of the historical elements that influence lifestyle and beliefs in this region today. The secondary objective was to explore gender differences in color-blind racial attitudes, and the relationships between color-blind attitudes and other prejudice-related constructs. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that color-blind racial attitudes would correlate significantly and positively with prejudice toward minorities and machismo, and would correlate negatively and significantly with privilege awareness. Undergraduates (104 men, 296 women) participated via web-based surveys, and responded to measures designed to study a large variety of constructs including CoBRAS, machismo and acceptance of violence (Walker, 2005), sexism toward women (Glick & Fiske, 2001), prejudice toward minorities (Chumney, 2005), other-group orientation (Phinney, 1992), White privilege awareness (Case, 2004), and demographic variables. Data analysis indicated consistently lower means and smaller standard deviations for all subscales of the CoBRAS that had been reported in previous literature. Reliability for each subscale was also computed using the data from the present study and were consistently lower than were reported by Neville et al. (2000), with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from .62 to .79. Significant gender differences were found on overall CoBRAS scores and two subscales; men scored higher on Institutional Discrimination (t (398) = -3.394; p = .001) and Blatant Racial Issues (t (398) = -3.478; p = .001). Consistent with expected findings, CoBRAS was found to correlate significantly and positively with prejudice toward minorities (r = .521; p = .000) and machismo (r = .167; p = .045), and negatively with privilege awareness (r = -.644; p = .000). Significant correlations were also found between all subscales of the CoBRAS measure and modern racism and modern sexism. Only the Blatant Racial Issues subscale correlated significantly with old-fashioned racism or old-fashioned sexism. Both Institutional Discrimination and Blatant Racial Issues were found to relate significantly to benevolent and hostile sexism and protective paternalism. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that subtle regional differences in CoBRAS do exist. Further data analysis and implications of the present study will be addressed. |
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Morelock, A. M., Chumney, F. L., Hyder, H. R., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Group differences in perceptions of breastfeeding mothers. Poster session accepted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA. |
| Abstract: Previous research has suggested that college men and women continuously classify women into liked and disliked categories (Glick & Diebold, 1997), and have more positive perceptions of mothers who breastfeed, compared to mothers who bottle-feed (Forbes et al., 2003). The primary objective of this study was two-fold: first, to compare the attitudes of men and women towards breastfeeding and women who choose to breastfeed; and second, to explore the relationship between knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child, and the positive and negative stereotypes associated with women who breastfeed. The secondary purpose of this study was to compare the stereotypes associated with three mothering styles to the stereotypes of women perceived as “good” mothers. Undergraduate students (60 men and 87 women) enrolled in at least one social science course at a southeastern university participated in exchange for modest course credit. Participants completed several questionnaires, including a social behavior inventory, a measure of attitudes toward and embarrassment related to breastfeeding, and a questionnaire designed to assess knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding. Some men and women participated in-class while others participated outside of class via the Internet; no significant differences were found between participants who completed the questionnaires in-class and those who completed the measures outside of class. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare responses of men and women and between participants with high and low knowledge of breastfeeding. Men and women who had less knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding indicated they were less likely to support breastfeeding, have lower opinions of women who breastfeed in general, and hold more negative stereotypes of women who breastfeed. Furthermore, men associated fewer positive and significantly more negative personality traits with women who breastfeed compared to women who do not breastfeed. Women tended to attribute characteristics related to morality (e.g., church-going, conscientious) to women who breastfeed, while men attributed characteristics more closely related to attractiveness and sexuality (e.g., good physical shape, promiscuous) to women who breastfeed. Further analysis is expected to reveal findings consistent with those reported here. Further research on the degree to which a woman’s choice to breastfeed is influenced by her partner might reveal a need for public education programs on this and related topics. These and other implications of and applications for this research will be discussed. |
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Snyder, J. M., Chumney, F. L., Hyder, H. R., Morelock, A. M., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). Hostile sexism, rape myth acceptance, adversarial heterosexual beliefs, and machismo. Poster session accepted for presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA. |
| Abstract: Despite efforts to curtail its expression, and even its existence, sexism remains a strong factor in the consideration of women for virtually all social roles (Glick and Fiske, 2001). Ambivalent sexism, the simultaneous existence of conflicting positive and negative feelings towards women, is considered the result of both hostile and benevolent sexism (Forbes et al., 2003; Glick et al., 2000). Previous research has shown that hostile sexism, defined as the opposition toward women who assume the power of men, and benevolent sexism, favorable feelings toward women who accept traditional gender roles, are significantly related to the perceived sexuality of the woman target. While this line of research has been thoroughly examined, little effort has been dedicated to examining sexism and rape myth acceptance separate from a prescribed target woman; many studies have illustrated that the perception of and attitudes toward rape are a function of the victim and situation. The primary objective of the present research was to examine sexism as a trait of individuals, independent of their perceptions of specific female targets. The secondary objective was to investigate the relationship between sexism and acceptance of rape myths, adversarial heterosexual beliefs, and machismo. A third, underlying objective was to determine the role of gender in these relationships. It was hypothesized that significant gender differences would be found for sexist attitudes, particularly on the hostile sexism and protective paternalism subscales of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick & Fiske, 2001). Significant positive relationships were expected between hostile sexism and adversarial heterosexual beliefs, machismo, and rape myth acceptance. 200 undergraduates (52 men, 148 women) participated in this study in exchange for modest point credit in various introductory-level social science courses. In addition to the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) and a brief demographics survey, all participants completed the Adversarial Heterosexual Beliefs Scale (Burt, 1980), Check et al.’s (1985) Rape Myth Scale, and the machismo and acceptance of violence subscales of the Maudsley Violence Questionnaire (Walker, 2005). Data analysis confirmed the hypothesis that significant gender differences exist for the hostile sexism and paternal protectivism subscales of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory; men scored higher on both sections. Positive and significant correlations were found between all subscales of the ASI and the measure of adversarial heterosexual beliefs. The relationships between the acceptance of violence, machismo, and rape myth acceptance were only significant for the ASI subscales labeled benevolent sexism, hostile sexism, heterosexual intimacy, and paternal protectivism. Adversarial heterosexual beliefs and hostile sexism were also found to be significantly related to each other (r = .452; p < .01) and to rape myth acceptance (r = .415; p < .01, and r = .527; p < .01, respectively). Overall, the results of this study are consistent with those of previous research and indicate an stable connection between sexism and sexist-related beliefs and both overt and covert acceptance of violence toward women. This study also suggests the existence of rape myth acceptance and sexism independent of the identity of an individual woman or group of women being targeted. Discussion will include further implications of and future directions for the present study. |
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Welsh, M., Ferguson, K. L., Abraham, J., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). How much do parents know? Parents’ perceived knowledge of students’ behaviors. Poster session submitted for presentation at the Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, New York, NY. |
| Abstract: The family relationship may be influential on an individual’s levels of substance use and sexual activity. However, as adolescents progress through the developmental period, Noller and Bagi (1985) report that there is likely to be less communication between adolescents and their parents (as cited in Mazur & Hubbard, 2004). With this decline in communication, parents will likely not be informed of their child’s behaviors at a time when they are gaining more exposure and possibly opportunities to engage in substance use and sexual activity. Hartos and Power (2000) found that there was indeed a significant difference between raters in their study examining mother and child ratings of family communication and adolescent problem behaviors. Specifically, the mothers were reporting better communication and fewer problem behaviors, while the adolescents reported the opposite (Hartos & Power). Likewise, Jaccard, Dittus, & Gordon (1998) found that parent-child ratings regarding sexual experience were incongruent. Mothers tended to underestimate the sexual experiences of their child (as cited in Friedrich, Lysne, Sim, & Shamos, 2004). Although these are significant findings, it seems an important population is not being examined in this regard as much of the research on comparisons of parent and child ratings of the child’s behaviors have used adolescents still in the home rather than college students likely away from the watchful eye of their parents. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess the congruency between college students’ reports of substance use and sexual activity and their parents’ perceived knowledge of these behaviors. These differences were also assessed in regards to family communication. Participants were undergraduate students recruited via an online participant pool. After completing a series of questionnaires including a family communication scale and scales assessing students’ histories of substance use and sexual activity, students were asked to provide contact information for a parent or guardian who would possibly be willing to complete similar surveys. Parents were asked to complete the family communication scale and also to rate the extent to which they believed their child participated in certain activities regarding his/her substance use and sexual activity. Preliminary data analyses suggest that parents underestimate their child’s involvement with substances and sexual activity. Differences were greater in regards to sexual activity than substance use. Additionally, higher rates of congruency were found between mothers’ ratings of students’ behaviors than fathers’ ratings, regardless of the students’ gender. Findings suggest areas where parents may be deceiving themselves but could be influential in curbing possibly dangerous behaviors. Other findings and implications will be discussed in regards to parents’ perceived knowledge of students’ behaviors. |
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Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. S. (n.d.). White perspectives on sub-category structures of five ethnic groups. Paper accepted for presentation at the 20th National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Asheville, NC. |
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Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. S. (2005, November).Common stereotypes of ethnic groups and subgroups. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the Tennessee Psychological Association, Nashville, TN. |
| Abstract: The cultural climate of the United States has changed drastically over the past few decades (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000), as has the importance placed on understanding the prejudice that has accompanied the growth of minority groups (Dixon & Linz, 2000; Forgas & O’Driscoll, 1984). The present research served to examine the perceptions of the White group as they are held by White people and to extend the research of McCabe and Brannon (2004) and Devine and Baker (1991) and seek additional information on the stereotypes of Arab, Asian, Black, Latino, White and associated subcategories of businessperson and welfare recipient. Participants (51 men and 154 women) were provided with a list of eighty-six characteristics and were asked to indicate the degree to which each trait did or did not describe the typical member of six of the fifteen target groups. The results of this experiment indicate the stereotype of White overlaps considerably with those of Arab and Asian, but are very different from the stereotypes assigned to Latino and Black. Stereotype content analysis supported the findings of previous research, which indicated that businessperson is a subgroup of Arab, Asian, and White, but a subtype of Black and Latino. Furthermore, the stereotypes of businesspeople contained more overlapping qualities than the five ethnic categories shared. These results indicate that status may be more indicative of stereotype assignment than ethnicity. |
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Chumney, F. L., Stage, D. L., & Dula, C. S. (2005, November).Contrasting group structures of five ethnic groups. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the Tennessee Psychological Association, Nashville, TN. |
| Frances Chumney was awarded first place in the Undergraduate Poster Presentatin Competition held at the Annual Tennessee Psychology Association's Convention on November 5, 2005. |
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| Abstract: Popular theories of group categorization agree that the creation of mental categories, often termed “subgroups” and “subtypes” are automatic processes that allow for a clearer understanding of the social world. Subgroups, individuals who are viewed as part of the larger group, support the concept of the heterogeneity of the larger group (Maurer, Park, & Rothbart, 1995; McCabe & Brannon, 2004). In contrast to subgroups, subtypes work to preserve the stereotype of groups instead of enhancing it; a subtype is an individual who fits into the general schema of a group member, but also has negative characteristics. This distinction of subtype is generally assigned to members of the ingroup when threat to the status of the ingroup is perceived, but is continuously assigned to members outgroups to protect the perceived status of the ingroup. The present research extended the research of McCabe and Brannon (2004) and Devine and Baker (1991) and sought additional information on the subgroup and subtype categories of Arab, Asian, Black, Latino, and White. Welfare recipient and businessperson was provided as a subcategory of each ethnic group, resulting in fifteen target groups. Participants were asked to provide similarity ratings for all combinations of the fifteen target groups. Participants (55 men and 110 women) were undergraduate students attending a public university in the southeastern U. S. All participants were recruited from introductory social science courses and were provided modest point credit for participating. The results of this experiment support the hypothesis that Whites perceive the subgroup/subtype relationships of their own group as similar to Asian and different from Black and Latino. The perception of Arab group structure as similar to that of White was not expected. This finding supports the idea that Whites ar eparticularly invested in differentiating their own groups from those viewed in a negative way by the majority culture (Deaux, 1996). |
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Hyder, H. R., Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. (2005, November).Perception of nursing mothers as better mothers. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the Tennessee Psychological Association, Nashville, TN. |
| Heather Hyder and Frances Chumney were awarded third place in the Undergraduate Poster Presentatin Competition held at the Annual Tennessee Psychology Association's Convention on November 5, 2005. |
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| Abstract: Previous research has suggested that college men and women continuously classify women into liked and disliked categories (Glick & Diebold, 1997), and have more positive perceptions of mothers who breastfeed, compared to mothers who bottle-feed (Forbes et al., 2003). The purpose of this study was to compare the stereotypes associated with three mothering styles to the stereotypes of women perceived as “good” mothers. Undergraduate students (60 men and 87 women) enrolled in at least one social science course at a southeastern university participated in exchange for modest course credit. Participants completed several questionnaires, including a social behavior inventory, a measure of attitudes toward and embarrassment related to breastfeeding, and a questionnaire designed to assess knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding. Some men and women participated in-class while others participated outside of class via the Internet; no significant differences were found between participants who completed the questionnaires in-class and those who completed the measures outside of class. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare attributes assigned to breastfeeding mothers perceived to be better mothers overall, relative to those characteristics assigned to breastfeeding women who are not perceived as good mothers. Good mothers were associated with significantly more moral (e.g., church-going, strong family values, forgiving) and pro-social (e.g., open-minded, trusting, talkative, sociable) characteristics. |
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Irick, D. A., Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. S. (2005, November). Gender differences in sexism and rape myth acceptance. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the Tennessee Psychological Association, Nashville, TN. |
| Abstract: Despite efforts to curtail its expression, and even its existence, sexism remains a strong factor in the consideration of women for virtual all social roles (Glick and Fiske, 2001). Ambivalent sexism, the simultaneous existence of conflicting positive and negative feelings towards women, is considered the result of both hostile and benevolent sexism (Forbes et al., 2003; Glick et al., 2000). Previous research has shown that hostile sexism, defined as the opposition toward women who assume the power of men, and benevolent sexism, favorable feelings toward women who accept traditional gender roles, are significantly related to the perceived sexuality of the woman target. While this line of research has been thoroughly examined, little effort has been dedicated to examining sexism and rape myth acceptance separate from a prescribed target woman. In this way, past research has illustrated that the perception of and attitudes toward rape are a function of the victim and situation. The objectives of the present research were to examine sexism as a trait of individuals, independent of their perceptions of specific female targets, and to investigate the relationship of the acceptance of rape myths to sexism and gender. The data collected from 274 undergraduates (194 women and 80 men) indicates that a gender difference on hostile sexism and the related subscale of paternal protectivism does exist; men scored significantly higher than women on these two sexism measures, but not on the benevolent sexism subscale. Sexism was found to be significantly and positively correlated with acceptance of rape myths. Overall, the results of this study are consistent with those of previous research and indicate an interconnectedness of rape myth acceptance and sexism independent of the identity of an individual woman or group of women being targeted. |
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Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. S. (2005, May).White subgroups and minority subtypes: contrasting social categories. Poster session presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society, Los Angeles, CA. |
| Abstract: Contemporary research in psychology often focuses on the perceptions White people have of minority groups. Often, this research focuses on prejudices towards a single minority group, often Blacks or Latinos; relatively few studies compare White perceptions across minority groups. The present studies extended previous research and sought further information on the nature of White perceptions of minority groups. Specifically, the present studies explored the relationship between privilege awareness, prejudice, group affirmation, subgroup and subtype composition, and the content of stereotypes Whites have of Arabs, Asians, Blacks, and Latinos. All participants were undergraduate students recruited from introductory-level social science courses at a public university in the southeastern U.S. Some participants completed the study by way of paper-and-pencil tasks presented in a classroom setting, and other participants completed the study via an online participant pool. In the first study, each participant was asked to assign similarity ratings to ten of the following combinations of groups: Arabs and Asians, Arabs and Blacks, Arabs and Latinos, Arabs and Whites, Asians and Blacks, Asians and Latinos, Asians and Whites, Blacks and Latinos, Blacks and Whites, Latinos and Whites, Arabs and Arab businesspeople, Arabs and Arab welfare recipients, Asians and Asian businesspeople, Asians and Asian welfare recipients, Blacks and Black businesspeople, Blacks and Black welfare recipients, Latinos and Latino businesspeople, Latinos and Latino welfare recipients, Whites and White businesspeople, and Whites and White welfare recipients. Consistent with the findings of previous studies, the categories of businesspeople and welfare recipients are expected to be, respectively, a subgroup and subtype of Whites and the opposite, a subtype and subgroup, of the four minority groups. In the second study, each participant was provided three checklists, in random order, and asked to indicate the degree to which they agreed or disagreed that each characteristic on the checklist could be used to accurately describe a typical member of a specified group. The fifteen target groups identified in the second study were identical to those included in the first study. Consistent with previous research, attributes assigned to each target group by at least two-thirds of participants will be retained as a component to the stereotype of that group. Chi-square tests will be performed to compare the characteristics identified as stereotype components across the fifteen target groups. The findings of the second study are expected to support the subgroup and subtype relationships identified in the first study, as well as indicate a degree of similarity between the stereotypes of various minority groups. |
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Chumney, F. L., Burkhour, T. A., Hyder, H. R., Render, K. O., & Dula, C. S. (2005, April).Black, Latino, and White racial subgroups and subtypes. Paper presented at the Southeastern Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference, Huntsville, AL. |
| Abstract: This study tested the hypothesis that subgroups and subtypes (businessperson, welfare recipient) of the majority social group correspond to contrasting subtypes and subgroups of two minority groups. Approximately 300 undergraduate students at a southeastern university participated in exchange for modest course credit by completing a series of questionnaires either in-class or via the Internet. Similarity ratings were evaluated to compare the subgroup and subtype categories of Whites (e.g., White businessperson, White welfare recipient) to the subgroup and subtype categories of Blacks and Latinos (e.g., Black businessperson, Black welfare recipient, Latino businessperson, and Latino welfare recipient). The results of preliminary data analysis support the contrasting subgroup/subtype relationship hypothesis, indicating that businessperson is a subgroup of Whites but a subtype of Blacks and Latinos, and welfare recipient is a subtype of Whites but a subgroup of Blacks and Latinos. |
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Ferguson, K., & Dula, C. (2005, March).The affect of adolescent-parental communication on adolescent self-monitoring. Paper presented at the Appalachian Student Research Forum, Johnson City, TN. |
| Abstract: Much of the research regarding self-monitoring has been conducted using college students as participants (as cited in Pledger, 1992). However, adolescents are an important group to study, as developmental changes affect self-monitoring and self-esteem. The role of family communication in relation to an adolescent’s degree of self-monitoring should be examined, as the family has been found as one of the most important influences on adolescent development (White & Matawie, 2004). Self-monitoring is defined as self-observation and self-control which are guided by situational cues to social appropriateness (Snyder, 1974). Individuals may fall into one of two categories, high self-monitors or low self-monitors, based on the extent to which they adjust their behavior according to situational cues. High self-monitors continuously assess cues in a situation and adjust their behavior accordingly while low self-monitors tend to act similarly across different situations (Snyder, 1980). Like adults, adolescents vary in their levels of self-monitoring (Lapsley, Jackson, Rice, & Shadid, 1988). An adolescent’s identity formation and role-taking ability has been found to be affected by family communication (Barnes & Olson, 1985). Cooper et al. suggest that adolescents who experience the support of their families may feel freer to explore issues of identity (as cited in Barnes & Olson, 1985). Further, communication differences in mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationships may play a role in adolescent self-monitoring as past research has found that these relationships differed substantially (Barnes & Olson, 1985). The present study was designed to examine the influence of family communication on adolescent self-monitoring, as well as to add to the limited amount of research concerning adolescent self-monitoring. It was hypothesized that 1) adolescents who rate communication with their parents as less open, would be more likely to be high self-monitors, and that, 2) overall, adolescents will report more open communication with their mothers. Participants in the study consisted of 30 adolescents (6 males and 22 females), ranging in age from 11 to 14 years (M = 12.64, SD = .83) from a middle school in Southwest Virginia, who completed the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale: Adolescent Form, and the Junior Self-Monitoring Scale. The hypothesis that adolescents who rate communication with their parents as less open would be more likely to be high self-monitors was partially confirmed. In an examination of overall parent-adolescent communication, level of communication did not appear to affect self-monitoring. However, a closer examination of the means showed that this difference was almost exclusively the result of differences in high and low self-monitoring for communication with the father. In particular, low self-monitors reported better communication with their fathers than did high self-monitors. Mother-adolescent communication did not appear to affect adolescent self-monitoring. Analyses confirmed the second hypothesis that adolescents would report more open communication with their mothers. Results will be discussed in terms of their relation to the existing literature and theory, and with regard to future directions for study. |
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Burkhour, T. A., Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. S. (2005, April). Exploring the acceptance of torture. Paper presented at the Annual ETSU Psychology Department Research Forum, Johnson City, TN. |
| Abstract: The purpose of this presentation is to present a review of the literature pertinent to the study of aggression and violence in terms of attitudes towards, knowledge and acceptance of torture. This literature review is the basis for a study currently in the stages of initial development. This research will attempt to explore the relationship between knowledge of torture, target and aggressor identity, and acceptance of torturous acts. Additionally, this project will examine the change in acceptance relative to target and aggressor identity. |
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Ferguson, K., & Dula, C. (2005, March).The affect of adolescent-parental communication on adolescent self-monitoring. Paper presented at the Appalachian Student Research Forum, Johnson City, TN. |
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Cudebec, J. C., Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. (2005, March).Ambivalent sexism toward women who breastfeed. Poster session presented at the Appalachian Student Research Forum, Johnson City, TN. |
| Abstract: Ambivalent sexism, the simultaneous existence of conflicting positive and negative feelings toward women, is considered the result of both hostile sexism (opposition toward women who assume the power of men) and benevolent sexism (favorable feelings toward women who accept traditional gender roles). The 22-Item Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick & Fiske, 1996) was developed to measure such contradictory images of women. Glick and Fiske (2001) found that benevolent sexism is more widely accepted in nations where hostile sexism justifies a patriarchic society and the fulfillment of traditional gender roles. This study tested the hypothesis that ambivalent sexism towards breastfeeding mothers is representative of sexist attitudes toward women in general. Specifically, the relationships between benevolent sexism, hostile sexism, positive and negative stereotypes of women who breastfeed, and the extent to which a breastfeeding woman is considered to be a sexual individual, were investigated. Undergraduate students (60 men and 87 women) at a southeastern university participated in exchange for modest course credit by completing a set of questionnaires either in-class or via the Internet. In addition to the measure of ambivalent sexism, participants completed measures designed to identify stereotypes associated with women who breastfeed, attitudes toward and knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding, and a demographics questionnaire. Hostile and benevolent sexism were significantly correlated (p = .000), as were the three subscales formed by the benevolent sexism items. Hostile sexism correlated significantly (p = .000) with both negative stereotypes (e.g., poor, uncreative, vengeful, materialistic) and the perception of a breastfeeding mother as a highly sexual individual (e.g., promiscuous, likely to initiate sex). Benevolent sexism correlated significantly (p = .021) with positive stereotypes (e.g., careful, soft-hearted, reliable). These results support the hypothesis that mothers who breastfeed are subject to sexist attitudes similar to those imposed on all women. |
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Burkhour, T. A., Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. (2005, March). Gender differences in the perception of breastfeeding women. Poster session presented at the Appalachian Student Research Forum, Johnson City, TN. |
| Abstract: This study explored the contents of stereotypes of women who choose to breastfeed, and how these stereotype attributes differ between men and women. Undergraduate students participated in exchange for modest course credit by completing a series of questionnaires either in-class or via the Internet. All participants completed several questionnaires, including a social behavior inventory, a measure of attitudes toward and embarrassment related to breastfeeding, and a questionnaire designed to assess knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding. Analysis on 147 participants (60 men and 87 women) utilized Mann-Whitney U tests to compare responses of men and women. Men associated fewer positive and significantly more negative personality traits with women who breastfeed compared to women who do not breastfeed. Women tended to attribute characteristics related to morality (e.g., church-going, conscientious) to women who breastfeed, while men attributed significantly more characteristics related to attractiveness and sexuality (e.g., good physical shape, promiscuous) to women who breastfeed. |
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Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. (2005, March). Gender differences in the perception of breastfeeding women. Poster session presented at the Appalachian Student Research Forum, Johnson City, TN. |
| Abstract: This study investigated perception of the quality of parenting provided by breastfeeding mothers. Undergraduate students (60 men and 87 women) enrolled in at least one social science course participated, either in-class or via the Internet, in exchange for modest course credit. Each participant was asked to complete a set of questionnaires that included measures of perceptions of and attitudes towards women who breastfeed, knowledge of and embarrassment related to breastfeeding, and demographic information. Perceived quality of motherhood provided by breastfeeding mothers was measured using the questionnaire developed by Friedman, et al (1998). Factor analysis of data collected for the present study was performed for each of the three factors comprising the quality of motherhood measure. The factor labeled “concerned and investing mother” consisted of 11 items and explained 46% of the variance (Eigen value 6.256). The “egalitarian mother” factor consisted of 5 items and explained 36% of the variance (Eigen value 2.797).The third factor, “rejecting mother,” consisted of 3 items and explained 17% of the variance (Eigen value 2.358). A significant positive correlation was found between concerned and investing mother and egalitarian mother (p= .000). Negative correlations were found between the subscales of concerned and investing mother and rejecting mother (p = .001), and egalitarian mother and rejecting mother (p = .365). These results were similar to those of previous studies utilizing this measure, and supported the hypothesis that a woman’s choice to breastfeed or bottle-feed her child does not significantly alter the perception of her as a concerned and invested, egalitarian, or rejecting mother. |
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Hyder, H. R., Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. (2005, March). The stereotype of a good mother: does the choice to breastfeed matter? Poster session presented at the Appalachian Student Research Forum, Johnson City, TN. |
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| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the stereotypes associated with three mothering styles to the stereotypes of women perceived as “good” mothers. Undergraduate students (60 men and 87 women) enrolled in at least one social science course at a southeastern university participated in exchange for modest course credit. Participants completed several questionnaires, including a social behavior inventory, a measure of attitudes toward and embarrassment related to breastfeeding, and a questionnaire designed to assess knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding. Some men and women participated in-class while others participated outside of class via the Internet; no significant differences were found between participants who completed the questionnaires in-class and those who completed the measures outside of class. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare attributes assigned to good mothers who breastfeed to breastfeeding women not described as “good” mothers. Good mothers were associated with significantly more moral (e.g., church-going, strong family values, forgiving) and pro-social (e.g., open-minded, trusting, talkative, sociable) characteristics. |
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Chumney, F. L., & Dula, C. S. (2005, March). Breastfeeding and attitudes toward women who do it. Poster session presented at the Annual Women's Health Conference, Johnson City, TN. |
| Frances Chumney was awarded third place in the James H. Quillen College of Medicine Research and Practice in Women’s Health Care Poster Presentation Competition held at the 9th Annual “Women’s Health Across the Lifespan” Conference on March 4, 2005. Frances’ presentation, “Breastfeeding and Attitudes Toward Women Who Do It,” focused on student attitudes toward breastfeeding and stereotypes of women who choose to breastfeed. The primary objective of this study was to explore the relationship between knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child, and perceptions of mothers who breastfeed compared to mothers who do not. Beth Bailey, Ph.D., earned the first place award, and second place was awarded to a project headed by Karen Schetzina, MD, MPH. |
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| Abstract: The purpose of this study was two-fold: first, to compare the attitudes of men and women towards breastfeeding and women who choose to breastfeed; and second, to explore the relationship between knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child, and the positive and negative stereotypes associated with women who breastfeed. Undergraduate students participated in the present study in exchange for modest course credit by completing a series of questionnaires either in-class or via the Internet. All participants completed several questionnaires, including a social behavior inventory, a measure of attitudes toward and embarrassment related to breastfeeding, and a questionnaire designed to assess knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding. Preliminary analysis on 100 participants (49 men and 51 women) utilized Mann-Whitney U tests to compare responses of men and women and between participants with high and low knowledge of breastfeeding. Men and women who had less knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding indicated they were less likely to support breastfeeding, have lower opinions of women who breastfeed in general, and hold more negative stereotypes of women who breastfeed. Furthermore, men associated fewer positive and significantly more negative personality traits with women who breastfeed compared to women who do not breastfeed. Women tended to attribute characteristics related to morality (e.g., church-going, conscientious) to women who breastfeed, while men attributed characteristics more closely related to attractiveness and sexuality (e.g., good physical shape, promiscuous) to women who breastfeed. Further analysis is expected to reveal findings consistent to those reported here. Further research on the degree to which a woman’s choice to breastfeed is influenced by her partner, might reveal a need for public education programs on this and related topics. |
