Effect of metastereotypes on female cooperative behaviour and the mediating role of intergroup anxiety

Abstract

This study explored the effect of metastereotypes on female cooperative behaviour, and the mediating role of intergroup anxiety. Cooperative behaviour was measured by the ultimatum game, in which a responder decides whether to accept a monetary division offered by a proposer to get the corresponding amount of money or reject it, leaving neither player with anything. Study 1, through a laboratory experiment on 62 Chinese female college students, showed that female participants in a metastereotype activation group showed more intergroup anxiety and less cooperative behaviour than participants in a control group; intergroup anxiety played a mediating role between metastereotypes and female cooperative behaviour. Study 2 (n = 94) used an imagined intergroup contact technique to reduce the level of intergroup anxiety to further verify the mediating role of intergroup anxiety obtained from Study 1. The results showed that experiencing imagined intergroup contact reduced the negative effect of metastereotypes on female cooperative behaviour through mitigating intergroup anxiety. These findings revealed the possible effects of metastereotypes on female cooperative behaviour and the related possible behavioural mechanism, providing new insights into understanding women’s cooperative behaviour and improving teamwork efficiency.