College students' multiple stereotypes of lesbians: A cognitive perspective.
This paper examines stereotypes of lesbians held by college students. Multiple stereotypes are elicited from a free response trait listing task, followed by a sorting task. The results of the sorting task are submitted to cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling to reveal the complexity of cognitive representations of this group. Eight types are described, reflecting underlying distinctions between positive perceptions (e.g., lipstick lesbian, career-oriented feminist) and negative perceptions (e.g., sexually deviant, angry butch) and also between relative strength and weakness. The research is discussed in terms of cognitive perspectives on stereotyping and gender inversion theory. Suggestions for future research are provided.
Geiger
Wendy
W
Department of Communication, Central Missouri State University, 127 C Martin Hall, Warrensburg, MO 64093, USA. geiger@cmsu1.csmu.edu
Harwood
Jake
J
Hummert
Mary Lee
ML
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012107:Research Design; D013240:Stereotyping; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities