Mediating Variables Affecting Sex Differences In Causal Attribution

Author : Karin Louise Hansee
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (136 download)

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Download or read book The Differential Effect of Gender on Observers' Causal Attributions and Perceptions of Leader Competence and Appropriateness Following Displays of Vulnerable Emotions written by Karin Louise Hansee and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this experimental, cross-sectional study was to assess whether leaders' gender may have a differential effect on observers' causal attributions for leaders' display of vulnerable emotions. This study also examined whether leader gender and causal attributions interacted in determining observers' perceptions of leaders' competence and appropriateness following leader displays of vulnerable emotions. Differential analysis of leader gender and emotion was conducted using two-way ANOVA. Main effects for both gender and emotion were reported for 1) internal and external causality, 2) competence and 3) appropriateness, as well as any resulting interactions. The Montoya and Hayes (2017) method was utilized for testing for mediation. A within-subjects ANOVA comparing ratings of causality across all three emotional conditions determined whether evidence supported the moderation effect. Results of these analyses found no significant difference between observers' attributions of causality for female versus male leaders on any of the emotions tested. There was a significant difference between observer ratings of appropriateness for male and female leaders after an exhibition of humor such that the male leader was rated as more appropriate than the female leader, but there was no significant difference in the perceived appropriateness of male and female leader's expression of sorrow or anger. Male leaders were rated as less competent than the female leaders following the expression of sorrow. No significant differences were found between male and female leaders expressing anger or humor. The data did not support causal attribution as a mediating variable between leader displays of emotion and observer ratings of competence, when comparing ratings of appropriateness after observing leaders displaying anger and humor or anger and sorrow. There was, however, support for causal attribution as a mediating variable when comparing ratings of appropriateness after observing leaders displaying humor and sorrow. Results indicate the source of the significant moderation in this study was an interaction between attributions of causality for sorrow versus attributions of causality for anger and humor. The data in this study did not support the hypotheses that the judgments of competence and appropriateness would be differentially affected by gender-related causal attributions. While there were some observer differences in gender-related causal attributions, these did not translate into differences in judgments of competence or appropriateness for male and female leaders. These findings suggest the evaluation of leaders' competence and appropriateness is based on factors other than gender-based causal attributions. However, due to the large percentage of white women in the sample, these findings may not generalize to the general population.