Gender Differences in Attitudes Towards War
Poster Number
11
Format
Poster Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Gary Howells
Faculty Mentor Department
Psychology
Abstract/Artist Statement
The purpose of this study to evaluate gender differences in attitudes toward war and to determine whether exposure to positive or negative war information affects explicit attitude. Previous research has suggested that women are more willing to participate in peaceful encounters, have more consistent and positive attitudes towards conflict groups (Yablon, 2009). Therefore it is hypothesized that women will hold more consistent and negative views toward war than men. Thirty participants (15 males, 15 females) will be recruited from a small private university. Using a between-subjects design, participant’s attitudes toward war will be measured across two sessions using a 5-point Likert scale, 12- item survey from the Revised Attitudes Towards Violence Scale (2006) in combination with six student designed items. All participants will complete a pre-intervention survey before exposure to either “pro war” or “pro peace” information. In the final session, participants will be given a second but similar survey to determine whether exposure to information regarding war elicited a change in attitude. Implications of this study may suggest gender differences in vulnerability to propaganda and could shed light on national military action over past years. Limitations include small sample size time constraints and experimenter presence may have influenced the responses of participants. Future research could evaluate the relationship between SES or ethnicity and attitudes toward war.
Location
Tiger Lounge
Start Date
21-4-2012 10:00 AM
End Date
21-4-2012 12:00 PM
Gender Differences in Attitudes Towards War
Tiger Lounge
The purpose of this study to evaluate gender differences in attitudes toward war and to determine whether exposure to positive or negative war information affects explicit attitude. Previous research has suggested that women are more willing to participate in peaceful encounters, have more consistent and positive attitudes towards conflict groups (Yablon, 2009). Therefore it is hypothesized that women will hold more consistent and negative views toward war than men. Thirty participants (15 males, 15 females) will be recruited from a small private university. Using a between-subjects design, participant’s attitudes toward war will be measured across two sessions using a 5-point Likert scale, 12- item survey from the Revised Attitudes Towards Violence Scale (2006) in combination with six student designed items. All participants will complete a pre-intervention survey before exposure to either “pro war” or “pro peace” information. In the final session, participants will be given a second but similar survey to determine whether exposure to information regarding war elicited a change in attitude. Implications of this study may suggest gender differences in vulnerability to propaganda and could shed light on national military action over past years. Limitations include small sample size time constraints and experimenter presence may have influenced the responses of participants. Future research could evaluate the relationship between SES or ethnicity and attitudes toward war.