Description
TitleCauses and consequences of biased perception of transgender individuals
Date Created2019
Other Date2019-05 (degree)
Extent1 online resource (xii, 137 pages) : illustrations
DescriptionIn nine studies, my dissertation explored perceptual and attentional routes to transgender discrimination. Specifically, I explored whether, when, and why people’s perceptions of an individual’s gender-typicality differ when they learn the person is transgender versus non-transgender (cisgender). My dissertation had four primary aims. First, I sought to establish whether biases exist in the way people perceive transgender individuals. In Studies 1a, 1b, 2, and 3 I tested whether participants perceive a target differently upon learning they are transgender versus cisgender. Across studies, participants perceived a target labeled as transgender as less gender-congruent than the same target labeled as cisgender. Second, I tested why such differences might emerge. In Study 4, I tested whether selective attention to gender-incongruent features plays a role in biased perception. Upon learning a woman was transgender, participants attended to prototypically masculine regions of her body, which was associated with perceiving her as less feminine. Third, I explored when perceptual biases might be most likely to emerge. In Studies 5a and 5b, I examined target race as a moderator of perceptual biases. Differences in perceptions of gender-typicality emerged between targets labeled transgender versus cisgender for both Black and White targets; however, contrary to hypotheses, differences in perceptions of gender-typicality were not exaggerated toward Black transwomen. Fourth, I tested downstream negative consequences of such biases. In Study 6, perceptions of transwomen as less gender-congruent (i.e., less feminine) led to beliefs that it was less acceptable for them to behave in feminine ways and less endorsement that the target should be categorized as female. In Study 7, people behaved more aggressively toward transgender versus cisgender women. However, perceptions of transwomen as less gender-congruent did not mediate this relationship. By demonstrating that people see transgender individuals as less gender-typical, this work suggests perceptual biases may be one hurdle transgender individuals face in being recognized according to their expressed identities.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
LanguageEnglish
CollectionSchool of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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