Sue W. Williams

Sex and sex-typing effects on computer attitudes and aptitude

Previous research has supported a sex difference favoring males on computer-related variables. This study examines the potential mediating effects of psychological sex typing on computer variables. One hundred twenty-five undergraduates were administered measures assessing sex typing, computer experience, computer attitudes, computer self-efficacy, and computer aptitude. When the effects of specific computer experience and sex-typing variables were removed using analyses of covariance, male/female comparisons on computer aptitude and self-efficacy variables were no longer significant. Participant sex as well as masculinity and several computer experience variables were significant in the computer attitude analysis.

Female attractiveness and eating disorders: Do children's television commercials play a role?

The differential rate of eating disorders in males and females has been partially attributed to gender socialization. Media influences, even in childrens programming, may contribute to the greater emphasis on physical attractiveness for girls compared to boys. Commercials from Saturday morning cartoon programming were analyzed for the number of male/female main and supporting characters, sex of narrator, sex of intended consumer, and appearance enhancement of person, doll, or animal. A majority of the commercials (60.6%) were for food products. Chi-square comparisons revealed significantly more male than female main characters and narrators in these commercials. Of those commercials (13.8%) scored for appearance enhancement, all male/female chi-square comparisons were significant with more female supporting characters, female main characters, female narrators, and female consumers. With the combined emphases on food and, for girls, on appearance, support for possible influences of commercials in eating disorders is noted.

Gender roles, computer attitudes, and dyadic computer interaction performance in college students

Females tend to score lower than males on measures of computer aptitude and attitudes. This study examined the potential effects of several mediating factors, sex of experimenter, sex of experimental partner, sex typing (Bem Sex Role Inventory score), and level of past experience, on a computer interaction task involving a dyad. College students, drawn from a primarily white college population, after completing paper-and-pencil measures assessing computer experience, computer attitudes, and gender roles, participated in a computer task involving drawing up to ten prescribed geometric patterns on a computer screen. Research assistants recorded the number of correctly completed patterns and videotaped participant interaction through a one-way mirror. Males reported experiencing more computer involvement than females. For males, past computer experience and masculinity were correlated with more positive computer attitude scores. For females, only past computer experience related to more positive computer attitude scores. Analyses of the computer interaction variable indicated that participants asked male research assistants significantly more questions than female research assistants. Several interaction effects were also found.

The Effects of Curriculum on Preschool Children's Perceptions of the Elderly.

Perceptions of the elderly were determined for 42 4‐ and 5‐year‐old children. The Social Attitude Scale of Ageist Prejudice (SASAP) was used to examine how these young children perceived elderly people after being exposed to a developmentally appropriate classroom curriculum that focused on the characteristics and positive aspects of the elderly. In a pretest‐posttest design, a decrease in prejudice score was found for children in the experimental group from pretest to posttest; an increase in prejudice score was determined for the control group. Results of this study also indicate that young children are more negative toward elderly persons’ abilities than toward their social characteristics and that level of grandparent visitation is unrelated to SASAP score.

Preschool Children's Computer Interest and Competence: Effects of Sex and Gender Role.

Abstract Sex differences in computer interest and competence in preschool children and the relationship of these variables to gender role concepts were investigated. Eighty-two children from a university-affiliated day care center and a nearby Head Start program were individually administered the Sex Role Learning Index (SERLI) as well as a brief computer background questionaire. Computer-related behaviors were assessed in the preschool setting via three matching games (dinosaurs, shapes, and numbers). Computer competence was assessed by number of completed trials for each game. Computer interest was measured through childrens level of participation in three categories of computer-related behavior—“proximity,” “observation,” and “working”—as indicated through analyses of selected videotaped computer sessions. For the combined computer competence score, older children completed more trials than younger children. Age and sex main effects were found on the child-figures section of the sex role preference (SRP) scale of the SERLI, with boys and older children indicating a stronger preference for their own sex role. For boys, the computer competence score was related to own sex role discrimination (SRD), and older children scored higher on the SRD scale than younger children. University children were more likely to indicate prior exposure to a computer. Male children viewed the computer as male oriented while female children viewed it as female oriented.

Age and Gender Differences in Children's Halloween Costumes

Abstract Based on data reported by Serbin and Sprafkin (1986), we predicted that the Halloween costumes of first and second graders would be less gender stereotyped than those of preschoolers and children in kindergarten. Children from one public elementary school and two preschools (N = 178) were individually interviewed on Halloween. Children were asked which character they were, who they wanted to be next year, and their age. The resulting 113 different costumes were then rated by college students for degree of masculinity, femininity, and scariness. In addition to main effects of gender and grade, two of four predicted interactions were significant. Older boys tended to prefer less masculine and more feminine costumes than younger boys, and older girls tended to prefer more masculine and less feminine costumes than younger girls.

Maternal Separation Anxiety in Hispanic and Euro-American Mothers

Maternal separation anxiety, that is, anxiety experienced by mothers when separated from their infants, was compared for 24 Hispanic and 41 Euro-American mothers. Compared to Euro-American mothers, Hispanic mothers reported more sadness and guilt when separated from their child. However, college education emerged as the sole significant predictor of maternal separation anxiety within the sample.

PILOT STUDY OF RELATIONSHIPS AMONG QUALITY AS A PARENT CHOICE CRITERION, ACCREDITED CHILD CARE. AND MATERNAL SEPARATION ANXIETY '

This pilot study explored the relationships among quality as a parent reported criterion for choosing child care, the actual selection of accredited child care, and maternal separation anxiety. Of the 59 mothers, 29 had placed their infants in accredited child care centers and 30 had placed their infants in nonaccredited child care centers. Participants completed a standardized measure, the Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale, and indicated their top three criteria for choosing child care on a demographic form. Participants who reported quality as a top criterion were no more likely to have chosen an accredited program than participants who did not include quality as a criterion. Student t test indicated that mothers who reported greater concern about balancing the maternal and work roles, i.e., had higher scores on Subscale Three, were more likely to have enrolled their infants in nonaccredited than accredited child care programs.