Group differences in preferences, beliefs, and perceptions
By: by Kessely Corea Hong
Contributors: John F. Kennedy School of Government
Published: 2008
Language: eng
Number of pages: 123
Subjects: Trust; Risk assessment; Stereotypes (Social psychology)
Description: This dissertation describes group differences in preferences affecting trust (Essay 1) and in preferences and perceptions of others in a conflict situation (Essay 2), and offers prescriptive advice on how to reduce gender stereotyped beliefs (Essay 3). In Essay 1, Iris Bohnet and I examine how status differences in sex, race, age and religion affect willingness to accept the three risks associated with trust: a worse outcome, disadvantageous inequality compared to the trusted party, and betrayal by the trusted party. Comparing willingness to accept risk across three experimental games, a Decision Problem, a Risky Dictator Game, and a Trust Game, we find that lower status groups are averse to disadvantageous inequality while higher status groups dislike being betrayed.

Essay 2 surveys officials and constituents from both sides of a jurisdictional conflict between the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho and local non-Tribal governments. Support for actions that benefit one's own side to the other side's harm is called "offensiveness," while opposition to actions that harm one's own side to the other side's benefit is called "defensiveness." Although participants themselves are more defensive than offensive, they consistently overestimate the offensiveness of the other side's officials and underestimate the defensiveness of the other side for both officials and constituents. Essay 3 explores how personal experience can reduce the impact of gender stereotypes. A counter-stereotypical experience (high success in a domain stereotyped to favor the other gender, or low success in a domain stereotyped to favor their own gender) leads participants to view their own performance as closer to that of the opposite gender and farther from their own gender, thus reducing the personal relevance of the stereotype. In addition, for counter-stereotypical experiences involving high success, participants perceive the magnitude of the stereotype (the gap between women's and men's performances) to be smaller. High success, regardless of the stereotype direction, increases participants' enjoyment of their experience and causes them to identify more strongly with the domain.
Notes: "May 2008."

Dissertation advisors: Iris Bohnet, Chair; Max H. Bazerman, Keith G. Allred.

Thesis (Ph.D., Granted by the Committee on Political Economy and Government)--Harvard University, 2008.

Includes bibliographical references.