“How'd You Do on That Test?”: The Effects of Gender on Self-Presentation of Achievement to Vulnerable Men

Abstract

This study examined the effects of gender on how people present their academic achievements when interacting with “vulnerable” male peers. Participants were 86 college students (40 males, 46 females) drawn from a population that was 7% African American, 10% Asian American, 6% Latino/a, 6% non-U.S. citizens, and 71% Euro-Americans. They were induced to predict their grade point average (GPA) to a male confederate who presented himself as (a) having earned either a low GPA or an average GPA, and (b) concerned or unconcerned about his academic performance. Both men's and women's GPA predictions were higher when interacting with the concerned partner, and men's predictions were even higher when interacting with the concerned, low-GPA partner. For male participants, there were significant positive correlations between predicted GPA and perceived similarity to the partner and between predicted GPA and interest in establishing a relationship with the partner, especially when interacting with the worried partner. These and other findings are discussed in the context of previous findings and related theory.