Regulatory Fit from Stereotype Threat: Enhancing Women's Leadership Aspirations

Doctoral Thesis / Dissertation from the year 2008 in the subject Psychology - Social Psychology, grade: magna cum laude, University of Mannheim (Fakultät für Sozialwissenschaften, Lehrstuhl für Mikrosoziologie und Sozialpsychologie), language: English, abstract: A series of studies investigates the impact of regulatory fit on women¿s leadership

aspirations. A regulatory fit occurs when an outcome is presented in gain frames

under a promotion focus and in loss frames under a prevention focus. Combining

research on regulatory focus and research on stereotype threat it is argued that

regulatory fit may result from stereotype threat (loss frame) under a prevention focus

and from the absence of stereotype threat (gain frame) under a promotion focus. In

line with previous research it is proposed that regulatory fit a) enhances motivation

(Studies 1 and 2) and b) creates a feeling right experience that increases the

persuasiveness of external stimuli (Study 3). In all three experiments regulatory fit

was operationalized as experiencing stereotype threat when under a prevention focus

or, respectively, experiencing the absence of stereotype threat when under a

promotion focus. Further, women¿s aspirations to engage in a leadership role were

assessed. In Studies 1 and 2 it was shown that women¿s motivation to occupy a

leadership role was enhanced in the regulatory fit conditions compared to women in

the nonfit conditions. Study 3 demonstrated that a stimulus (i.e., role model) was more

persuasive under regulatory fit. Women experiencing regulatory fit compared to

women in the nonfit conditions were more persuaded by role models, showing more

interest in a leadership role when confronted with a positive model and less interest

when confronted with a negative model. These studies show that stereotype threat can

elicit regulatory fit, which in turn affects women¿s leadership aspirations. Future

directions and limitations are discussed.