Mast
Fakultäten » Philosophische Fakultät » Psychologisches Institut » Sozialpsychologie » Prof. Dr. Rainer Hornung » Mast
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Status and Gender Influences on Perceptions of Individuals with Mental Disabilities | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | An individual’s ability to function in social, educational, and vocational environments is dependent not just on the behavior of that individual, but also on the ways in which he or she is perceived and treated by the larger society. Research has demonstrated that societal perceptions of groups affect the functioning capabilities of specific individuals within those groups. When members of a minority group are perceived in a negative light they face certain obstacles to their function. When perceptions shift, however, successful functioning is facilitated. This proposal aims to explore social factors that might influence nondisabled individuals’ perceptions of and behavior toward individuals with intellectual disability. The role of individuals with disabilities in American society has evolved over the last 30 years. With de-institutionalization, citizens with intellectual disabilities have been integrated into community housing. Recent legislation (e.g., Americans with Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) has ensured legal and educational rights for members of society with diverse disabilities. It is not yet known, however, the extent to which these shifts have affected perceptions and behavior by nondisabled members of society. We intend to explore two factors that social psychologists have demonstrated to be important determinants of social interactions. One is “status,” that is, a person’s social standing, rank position, dominance, or power relative to other group members. In the general population, it is clear that status affects interaction behavior and influences how individuals are perceived (e.g., Aries, Gold, & Weigel, 1983; Johnson, 1994; Schmid Mast, 2001; Thimm & Kruse, 1993). The second factor we will explore is gender and adherence to gender-typical behavior. Gender can affect an individual’s status as well as his or her behavior patterns. Women are often found in lower status positions than men (e.g., Megargee, 1969; Nyquist & Spence, 1986) and research consistently shows that they adopt communication styles that differ from those of their male peers (e.g., Aries, 1996; Lakoff, 1975; 1977). These differences may have both positive and negative effects on the lives of women or men (Tannen, 1993). Despite extensive research with nondisabled people, virtually nothing is known about the extent to which status and/or gender affect perceptions and behaviors when the individuals under consideration have a manifest intellectual disability. It is perhaps surprising that two factors that have received such widespread attention in other populations have been largely ignored in the area of developmental disabilities. There is evidence from social psychology that individuals with intellectual disabilities are accorded low social status (e.g., DePaulo & Coleman, 1986). Independent evidence in psycholinguistics indicates that girls and young women with intellectual impairments maintain gender-typical patterns in their communication and conversations (Wilkinson, 1999; Wilkinson & Murphy, 1998; Wilkinson, Murphy, & Bakeman, 1999). Together, these findings raise the important question: Is the presence of this gender-typical behavior an advantage or a disadvantage for these young women, particularly for those with cognitive impairments that may lead to limitations in social functioning? Specifically, are individuals with intellectual impairments judged and responded to along the dimensions of status and gender-typical behavior? If so, it will be essential to determine the nature of the judgments, and the ways in which they affect behavior toward this group. In addition, understanding of the nature of judgments concerning mental retardation can affect our ability to provide maximally effective services. This project aims to: (a) identify whether adherence to gender-typical behavior influences perceptions of females with intellectual disabilities by nondisabled individuals, and (b) evaluate the role of gender and perceived status in determining behavior exhibited towards females with intellectual disabilities. |
||||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
|
||||||
| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
Others NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), USA |
||||||
| In collaboration with / In Zusammenarbeit mit |
|
||||||
| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Mar 2004 to Mar 2006 |