Abstract

The purpose of this research was to view integratively the debate of factual basis('kernel of truth' debate) on the content of gender stereotype. According to theory of role-contextualization, the content of gender stereotype appears when people perceive other's traits on the basis of role expectation originating from the role relation of husband or wife as judgment criterion. So, content of gender stereotype(male is agentic, female is communal) has factual basis because the traits of male and female is perceived in role relation of husband-wife. Accordingly, in this research, two hypotheses were established to testify the effects of role-contextualization on the content of stereotype. One is that being contextualized in role, people use role expectation as judgment criterion. Another is that being contextualized in role, people perceive more selectively charateristics consistent with role expectation. To test these, gender role contextualized condition and race role contextualized condition were manipulated. The role of husband or wife was respectively given to subjects in gender role condition, and the role of master or slave was respectively given to subjects in race role condition. In two conditions, the role expectation was measured by impression judgment and the contents relevant to gender stereotype and racial stereotype were measured by inferring their traits. In result, the two hypotheses were supported. First, according to role-context, the tendency using role expectation as judgment criterion was increased. Namely, agentic values and communal values were used as judgment criterion in gender role condition, and protestant ethics values and considerate values were used as judgment criterion in race role condition. Second, according to role-context condition, the traits consistent with role expectation were more biasly inferred.