French, Mike
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Audience: Undergraduate. -- Dissertation: Thesis (B. A.). -- Algoma University, 1993. -- Submitted in partial fulfillment of course requirements for PSYC 4105. -- Includes figures and questionnaires. -- Contents: Thesis.
Role models provide examples of how to live and act. This study sought to determine whether the gender or the status of a role model is the most important factor in influencing the choice of a role model in young children. The subjects were 138 eight to nine year old boys and girls. They listened to a short story describing a space shuttle mission and then were asked two questions, each giving them the choice of two jobs. One question manipulated the status and gender of the characters performing the jobs in the story. The other question manipulated only the gender of the characters. The results supported previous findings that boys and girls choose a role model based on gender. However girls were not significantly less likely than the boys to choose a role model based on gender, as was predicted. It was found that status and gender are not independent of each other, and both play a role in influencing a child's selection of a role model.
