Students' Beliefs about Animal Researchers as a Function of Researchers' Sex

Abstract

Students responded to one of four written descriptions of professors who varied by sex and type of research (human or animal). A 2 (sex of target) × 2 (type of research) × 2 (sex of participant) analysis of variance was computed for an agentic scale and a communal scale. These scales assessed, respectively, orientation toward tasks and orientation toward relationships. The researchers of human behavior were rated as more communal than the animal researchers. The female researchers were rated as more agentic than the male researchers. No interaction between research area and sex of target was found. A content analysis of open-ended responses to the four stimulus descriptions supported the finding that the human researcher was rated as more communal than the animal researcher. This study suggests that students' beliefs about professors are influenced by the professors' area of research. The discussion addresses the implications of this finding for students' evaluations of animal researchers as instructors.