PSYC 367/WmSt 366:  Gender Issues in Psychology

Spring 2004            Virginia Norris, Ph.D.

All dates are subject to change.  Announcements in class supersede internet material.

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Name _________________________
Project 3
Popular Media Representations
of Sex Differences Research
DUE 2/3/2004

Find an article in a popular magazine about sex differences.

Observe neighboring articles and advertisements in the magazine. Do you notice any connections between the sex difference article and other magazine features? To whom is the magazine targeted? What seem to be the main themes/messages of the magazine to its audience?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Does the author of the sex difference article provide the following?

    • The source of the evidence she/he discuses (e.g., the researcher's name and affiliation, the citation for the scholarly publication)?
  • Information about the sample from which the findings were drawn?
    •  
  • Detail about the method used in the study?
 Note how the sex difference finding is reported. Are the findings reported as "all-or-nothing" comparisons (e.g., women are intimate; men are not)? Are males and females treated as homogeneous groups? To whom are the findings generalized? Are any confounding variables or interpretation caveats provided?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

To more fully understand the research findings, what additional information would you like to have?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Do you think there is any usefulness or harm in the popular report of the research findings for the intended audience of the magazine?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Consider the societal influences that contribute to such popular representations.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Imagine you were hired by the popular press to present this evidence. How would you present it?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Paul, E. L. & Johnson, E. R. (1998). Instructor's Manual and Test Bank. D. Ansalmi & A. Law, The Question Of Gender: Perspectives and Paradoxes. NY: The McGraw-Hill companies, Inc.
Copyright © 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT, South Dakota State University
VIRGINIA_NORRIS@SDSTATE.EDU