A perceptual defense approach to the study of gender sex related traits,stereotypes, and attitudes1

In the present study men who varied in the degree to which they viewed themselves as relatively masculine and/or feminine and the degree to which they expected others to engage in activities based on their gender sex (sex role attitude) were tachistoscopically presented pictures of a man and a woman engaged in sex role nontraditional activities. A signal detection theory analysis of the data yielded information on two aspects, the sensory (d′) and the nonsensory (β), of the subjects' perceptions of the stimulus material. The major finding was that nontraditional men defended against the anxiety-producing stimuli whereas the traditional man did not so defend. This finding was interpreted to support the concept of the “well-meaning liberal male.”