Likability, Sex‐role Congruence of Interest, and Competence: It All Depends on How You Ask1

Abstract

Subjects were shown one of four videotaped versions of a male or female stimulus person (SP) being interviewed, the SP' s being Competent or Incompetent and Masculine or Feminine in their interests. All S s were asked to rate the SPs' likability on an objective questionnaire, those in one condition (Standard) immediately after viewing the tape, and in another (Projective) after first having responded to a series of open‐ended, TAT‐like questions about the SP. In the Standard condition, the major results were two highly significant effects‐Competent SP s were liked better than Incompetent ones, and the Masculine Competent SP s more than their feminine counterparts. Several changes occurred in the Projective condition. Only profeminist women continued to prefer the Masculine Competent female SP to the Feminine Competent, the other group reversing their ratings. In response to the male SP s, profeminist males in the Projective condition preferred both Masculine SP s to the Feminine ones and, in comparison with other groups, exhibited a reduced competency effect.