The effect of gender stereotypes on cross-modal spatial attention

• Jiyou Gu

  Shandong Normal University

• Huiqin Dong

  Shandong Normal University

Using a spatial-cueing paradigm in which trait words were set as visual cues and gender words were set as auditory targets, we examined whether cross-modal spatial attention was influenced by gender stereotypes. Results of an experiment conducted with 24 participants indicate that they tended to focus on targets in the valid-cue condition (i.e., the cues located at the same position as targets), regardless of the modality of cues and targets, which is consistent with the cross-modal attention effect found in previous studies. Participants tended to focus on targets that were stereotype-consistent with cues only when the cues were valid, which shows that stereotype-consistent information facilitated visual–auditory cross-modal spatial attention. These results suggest that cognitive schema, such as gender stereotypes, have an effect on cross-modal spatial attention.

1. Jiyou Gu, Shandong Normal University
   Faculty of Education
2. Huiqin Dong, Shandong Normal University
   Faculty of Education

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