This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gould, R. J. Articles by Slone, C. G. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Gould, R. J. Articles by Slone, C. G. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

The "Feminine Modesty" Effect

A Self-Presentational Interpretation of Sex Differences in Causal Attribution

Old Dominion University

Caroline G. Slone

Old Dominion University

Causal attributions were made explaining the outcomes of 48 male and 48female subjects who succeeded or failed on an anagram task. Actual outcome was manipulated by varying the difficulty of the anagram task. Half of the subjects were led to believe their scores and ratings would remain private, whereas the other half were told they would participate in a group discussion about scores and causal explanations. Manipulation of anticipated privacy level had little effect under conditions of success, but after failure female subjects made more modest attributions in the public than in the private conditions. Attributions of males remained constant across public and private failure. Results were interpreted as casting doubt on expectancy explanations for sex differences in causal attributions for task outcome and as supporting a self-presentational analysis.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. B. Cialdini, W. Wosinska, A. J. Dabul, R. Whetstone-Dion, and I. Heszen When Social Role Salience Leads to Social Role Rejection: Modest Self-Presentation among Women and Men in Two Cultures Pers Soc Psychol Bull, May 1, 1998; 24(5): 473 - 481. [Abstract]

				S. Beyer and E. M. Bowden Gender Differences in Seff-Perceptions: Convergent Evidence from Three Measures of Accuracy and Bias Pers Soc Psychol Bull, February 1, 1997; 23(2): 157 - 172. [Abstract]

				W. L. Gardner III, J. Van Eck Peluchette, and S. K. Clinebell Valuing Women in Management: An Impression Management Perspective of Gender Diversity Management Communication Quarterly, November 1, 1994; 8(2): 115 - 164. [Abstract]

				K. S. CRITTENDEN Asian Self-Effacement or Feminine Modesty?: Attributional Patterns of Women University Students in Taiwan Gender Society, March 1, 1991; 5(1): 98 - 117. [Abstract]