Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
08:42
Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
Published on: May 19, 2015
When thinking back can hold us back: How being a follower can affect women's loss-aversion
Austin Lee Nichols1, Corey L Cook2
1Department of Business.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|October 5, 2018
Summary
Women in follower roles exhibit greater loss aversion than men in similar roles or women in leader roles, potentially explaining workplace gender gaps.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Gender Studies
Background:
- A persistent gender gap exists in organizational leadership positions.
- Objective predictors of this leadership gender gap remain under-examined.
- Loss aversion, a key behavioral economic concept, has not been linked to this gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of group role priming (leader vs. follower) and gender on loss aversion.
- To identify potential behavioral mechanisms contributing to the gender gap in leadership.
Main Methods:
- Experimental design with 192 participants (96 female) using a 3x2x2 factorial structure.
- Manipulation of role priming (leader, follower, control) and gender priming (present, absent).
- Measurement of loss aversion in relation to assigned group roles and participant sex.
Main Results:
- Women in a follower role demonstrated significantly higher loss aversion compared to men in a follower role.
- Women primed with a follower role showed greater loss aversion than women in a leader role or control condition.
- Role priming did not significantly affect loss aversion levels in men.
Conclusions:
- Group role, specifically being primed as a follower, can increase loss aversion in women.
- This heightened loss aversion in follower roles may be a contributing factor to the gender gap in leadership.
- Researchers and practitioners should consider the impact of group roles on decision-making and workplace dynamics.
Related Concept Videos
01:12Hindsight Biases
Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now?
02:09Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...
01:34Groupthink
When in group settings, we are often influenced by the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around us. Groupthink is another phenomenon of conformity where modification of the opinions of members in a group aligns with what they believe is the group consensus (Janis, 1972). In such situations, the group often takes action that individuals would not perform outside the group setting because groups make more extreme decisions than individuals do. Moreover, groupthink can hinder opposing trains of...
01:14Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
01:27Horney's Sociocultural Approach
Karen Horney's psychoanalytic theories emphasize the potential for self-realization and the importance of addressing social and cultural, rather than biological, factors in personality development. She challenged traditional Freudian views, particularly Freud's concept of "penis envy," which she argued stemmed from cultural influences rather than inherent biological differences. Horney believed that any sense of inferiority in women was a result of societal conditioning, such as dependence on...
01:19Counterfactual Thinking
Counterfactual thinking is a cognitive process wherein individuals mentally reconstruct alternative versions of past events, often beginning with “what if” or “if only.” This reflective mechanism plays a significant role in shaping emotional experiences and guiding future behavior. Though typically triggered by unfavorable or unexpected outcomes, counterfactual thinking can also emerge in mundane, everyday decisions and experiences, revealing its deep entrenchment in human cognition.Types of...