Jessica Salvatore | Sweet Briar College (original) (raw)

Papers by Jessica Salvatore

Sex Roles, 2010

Four studies examined why women appear to be less likely than men to lift weights, despite the do... more Four studies examined why women appear to be less likely than men to lift weights, despite the documented health benefits. An archival analysis (“Study 1”) pointed to a cultural dissociation between women and strength-related exercise goals. Furthermore, a study of women in a university in the mid-Atlantic United States who envisioned lifting weights in public expressed greater evaluation concerns than those who envisioned doing aerobic exercise (“Study 2”); moreover, greater evaluation concerns seemed to deter them from weight lifting. These findings helped to shed light upon gender-differentiated patterns of gym equipment use (“Study 3a”) and reports of psychological discomfort in gyms (“Study 3b”). This work begins to illuminate the sociocultural context of women’s avoidance of certain types of exercise.

Abstract This study examined how encountering racial prejudice affects cognitive functioning. We ... more Abstract This study examined how encountering racial prejudice affects cognitive functioning. We assessed performance on the Stroop task after subjects reviewed job files that suggested an evaluator had made nonprejudiced, ambiguously prejudiced, or blatantly prejudiced hiring recommendations. The cognitive impact of exposure to ambiguous versus blatant cues to prejudice depended on subjects' racial group.

Abstract Previous research has suggested that Blacks like White interaction partners who make an ... more Abstract Previous research has suggested that Blacks like White interaction partners who make an effort to appear unbiased more than those who do not. We tested the hypothesis that, ironically, Blacks perceive White interaction partners who are more racially biased more positively than less biased White partners, primarily because the former group must make more of an effort to control racial bias than the latter.

Abstract Two studies investigated the implications of ethnic minorities' prejudice expectations f... more Abstract Two studies investigated the implications of ethnic minorities' prejudice expectations for their affective and behavioral outcomes during interethnic interactions. In both studies, the more ethnic minorities expected Whites to be prejudiced, the more negative experiences they had during interethnic interactions. This finding held true for chronic prejudice expectations in a diary study of college roommates (Study 1) and for situationally induced prejudice expectations in a laboratory interaction (Study 2).

As it turns out, research shows that such performance failures cannot always be attributed simply... more As it turns out, research shows that such performance failures cannot always be attributed simply to inherent lack of ability or incompetence. Although some have jumped to the highly controversial conclusion that differences in attainment reflect natural differences between groups, the roots of many handicaps actually lie in the stereotypes, or preconceptions, that others hold about the groups to which we belong.

Book Reviews by Jessica Salvatore

We turn attention to ordinary gym users and everyday social relations in athletic facilities. Our... more We turn attention to ordinary gym users and everyday social relations in athletic facilities. Our study concerned college students in the US and their experiences in the university’s fitness center. Using a critical incident procedure, we gathered brief accounts of “uncomfortable” experiences in day-to-day workout sessions. Drawing on the theories of Bruner, Ochs, Labove, and Bamberg, we analyzed how these accounts drew upon and reaffirmed normative gender orders. One prominent theme was that men—especially those on sports teams—pre-empted both physical spaces and certain pieces of equipment. Another common theme concerned men’s overt scrutiny of and judgments about women’s bodies, whether in terms of physical attractiveness, athletic ability, or skill in using gym equipment. By contrast, no male participant told of such scrutiny by either women or other men. Participants seemed to regard these patterns of behavior as intractable. Rather than demanding that men change, participants described strategies such as hiding from men’s view or avoiding the gym entirely.

Sex Roles, 2010

Four studies examined why women appear to be less likely than men to lift weights, despite the do... more Four studies examined why women appear to be less likely than men to lift weights, despite the documented health benefits. An archival analysis (“Study 1”) pointed to a cultural dissociation between women and strength-related exercise goals. Furthermore, a study of women in a university in the mid-Atlantic United States who envisioned lifting weights in public expressed greater evaluation concerns than those who envisioned doing aerobic exercise (“Study 2”); moreover, greater evaluation concerns seemed to deter them from weight lifting. These findings helped to shed light upon gender-differentiated patterns of gym equipment use (“Study 3a”) and reports of psychological discomfort in gyms (“Study 3b”). This work begins to illuminate the sociocultural context of women’s avoidance of certain types of exercise.

Abstract This study examined how encountering racial prejudice affects cognitive functioning. We ... more Abstract This study examined how encountering racial prejudice affects cognitive functioning. We assessed performance on the Stroop task after subjects reviewed job files that suggested an evaluator had made nonprejudiced, ambiguously prejudiced, or blatantly prejudiced hiring recommendations. The cognitive impact of exposure to ambiguous versus blatant cues to prejudice depended on subjects' racial group.

Abstract Previous research has suggested that Blacks like White interaction partners who make an ... more Abstract Previous research has suggested that Blacks like White interaction partners who make an effort to appear unbiased more than those who do not. We tested the hypothesis that, ironically, Blacks perceive White interaction partners who are more racially biased more positively than less biased White partners, primarily because the former group must make more of an effort to control racial bias than the latter.

Abstract Two studies investigated the implications of ethnic minorities' prejudice expectations f... more Abstract Two studies investigated the implications of ethnic minorities' prejudice expectations for their affective and behavioral outcomes during interethnic interactions. In both studies, the more ethnic minorities expected Whites to be prejudiced, the more negative experiences they had during interethnic interactions. This finding held true for chronic prejudice expectations in a diary study of college roommates (Study 1) and for situationally induced prejudice expectations in a laboratory interaction (Study 2).

As it turns out, research shows that such performance failures cannot always be attributed simply... more As it turns out, research shows that such performance failures cannot always be attributed simply to inherent lack of ability or incompetence. Although some have jumped to the highly controversial conclusion that differences in attainment reflect natural differences between groups, the roots of many handicaps actually lie in the stereotypes, or preconceptions, that others hold about the groups to which we belong.

We turn attention to ordinary gym users and everyday social relations in athletic facilities. Our... more We turn attention to ordinary gym users and everyday social relations in athletic facilities. Our study concerned college students in the US and their experiences in the university’s fitness center. Using a critical incident procedure, we gathered brief accounts of “uncomfortable” experiences in day-to-day workout sessions. Drawing on the theories of Bruner, Ochs, Labove, and Bamberg, we analyzed how these accounts drew upon and reaffirmed normative gender orders. One prominent theme was that men—especially those on sports teams—pre-empted both physical spaces and certain pieces of equipment. Another common theme concerned men’s overt scrutiny of and judgments about women’s bodies, whether in terms of physical attractiveness, athletic ability, or skill in using gym equipment. By contrast, no male participant told of such scrutiny by either women or other men. Participants seemed to regard these patterns of behavior as intractable. Rather than demanding that men change, participants described strategies such as hiding from men’s view or avoiding the gym entirely.