Perceptions of Skills Needed for STEM Jobs: Links to Academic Self-Concepts, Job Interests, Job Gender Stereotypes, and Spatial Ability in Young Adults.

Gender gaps in spatial skills-a domain relevant to STEM jobs-have been hypothesized to contribute to women's underrepresentation in STEM fields. To study emerging adults' beliefs about skill sets and jobs, we asked college students (N = 300) about the relevance of spatial, mathematical, science and verbal skills for each of 82 jobs. Analyses of responses revealed four job clusters-quantitative, basic & applied science, spatial, and verbal. Students' ratings of individual jobs and job clusters were similar to judgments of professional job analysts (O*NET). Both groups connected STEM jobs to science, math, and spatial skills. To investigate whether students' interests in STEM and other jobs are related to their own self-concepts, beliefs about jobs, and spatial performance, we asked students in another sample (N = 292) to rate their self-concepts in various academic domains, rate personal interest in each of the 82 jobs, judge cultural gender stereotypes of those jobs, and complete a spatial task. Consistent with prior research, jobs judged to draw on math, science, or spatial skills were rated as more strongly culturally stereotyped for men than women; jobs judged to draw on verbal skills were more strongly culturally stereotyped for women than men. Structural equation modeling showed that for both women and men, spatial task scores directly (and indirectly through spatial self-concept) related to greater interest in the job cluster closest to the one O*NET labeled "STEM". Findings suggest that pre-college interventions that improve spatial skills might be effective for increasing spatial self-concepts and the pursuit of STEM careers among students from traditionally under-represented groups, including women.

The relationship of stereotypes, social distance and sexuality knowledge with attitudes towards sexuality of people with mild intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND: The present study examines the relationship between stereotypical beliefs about people with intellectual disabilities, desire for social distance, and general knowledge about human sexuality with attitudes towards the sexuality of adults with mild intellectual disabilities. METHOD: Two hundred fifty participants from staff, family and community samples completed an online set of questionnaires. RESULTS: Higher agreement with stereotypical beliefs and lower sexual knowledge were associated with less normalising and more paternalistic attitudes towards the sexuality of adults with mild intellectual disabilities. Higher agreement with stereotypical beliefs was also associated with more negative attitudes. On the other hand, willingness to interact with these adults was associated with more normalising and less paternalistic attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that aim to support adults with intellectual disabilities in relation to their sexuality should also address the perceptions of their support network towards them as individuals with disabilities, as well as their knowledge about sexuality.

Blaming the young is always more accessible rather than accusing the older employees: an experimental view over age and health in organizations.

Introduction: The stereotype content model postulates that different groups evoke different emotions and reactions based on two dimensions: intention toward others (warmth) and competence. Methods: In this study, we used an experimental design and a qualitative approach to investigate how managerial strategies are selected and motivated when a subordinate makes a work task related error but belongs to a group that is stereotypical perceived differently in terms of warmth and competence (age groups with or without a medical condition). Thus 75 employees analyzed one of the five hypothetical cases and described the managerial strategy and motivation for usage. Results: Data revealed that managerial strategies incorporate more active harm elements for younger employees in contrast with vulnerable groups (older employees with unspecified medical conditions, younger or older employees with a medical condition), who benefit from more active facilitation strategies. The strategy usage motivation is also different in the case of younger employees, the control group and the vulnerable groups. Discussion: The study outcomes bring additional evidence to support the stereotype content model theory and the socioemotional selectivity theory, enriching applicability on organizational practice and human resources management.

A Systematic Review of the Effect of Stigmatization on Psychiatric Illness Outcomes.

A significant proportion of individuals with psychiatric disorders face dual challenges such as managing the symptoms and disabilities of their conditions and enduring stigma arising from misconceptions about mental illness. This stigma denies them quality-of-life opportunities, such as access to satisfactory healthcare services, better employment, safer housing, and social affiliations. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effect of stigmatization on psychiatric illness outcomes, particularly its influence on treatment adherence, treatment-seeking behavior, and care outcomes. We conducted a systematic review of 39 studies published between 2010 and 2024, focusing on the effects of stigmatization on psychiatric illness outcomes. The review utilized robust methodology following Cochrane guidance and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, including studies from 2010 to 2024 obtained from databases such as PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and SCOPUS. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies, with most studies rated as moderate to high quality. The findings indicate that stigma in psychiatric illness is closely associated with several factors, including illness duration (mean effect size = 0.42, p < 0.05), frequency of clinic visits (mean reduction = 2.3 visits/year), and diagnosis of psychotic disorders (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.20-2.65). Stigma manifests through misinformation, prejudice, and discrimination, leading to significant barriers to accessing and adhering to psychiatric treatment, thereby worsening health outcomes. It leads to delays in accessing healthcare, poor adherence to medication and follow-up, and negative psychiatric health outcomes, including disempowerment, reduced self-efficacy, increased psychiatric symptoms, and decreased quality of life. Also, stigma extends to caregivers and healthcare professionals, complicating care delivery. This review highlights the need for effective interventions and strategies to address stigma, emphasizing the importance of educational interventions to mitigate the adverse effects of public stigma. Understanding the multifaceted nature of stigma is crucial for developing targeted approaches to improve psychiatric care outcomes and ensure better mental health services for individuals with mental illnesses.

Stereotypes as Bayesian prediction of social groups.

A stereotype is a generalization about a class of people which is often used to make probabilistic predictions about individuals within that class. Can stereotypes can be understood as conditional probabilities that distinguish among groups in ways that follow Bayesian posterior prediction? For instance, the stereotype of Germans as industrious can be understood as the conditional probability of someone being industrious given that they are German. Whether such representations follow Bayes' rule was tested in a replication and extension of past work. Across three studies (N = 2,652), we found that people's judgments of different social categories were appropriately Bayesian, in that their direct posterior predictions were aligned with what Bayes' rule suggests they should be. Moreover, across social categories, traits with a high calculated diagnostic ratio generally distinguished stereotypic from non-stereotypic traits. The effects of cognitive ability, political orientation, and motivated stereotyping were also explored.

Can names shape facial appearance?

Our given name is a social tag associated with us early in life. This study investigates the possibility of a self-fulfilling prophecy effect wherein individuals' facial appearance develops over time to resemble the social stereotypes associated with given names. Leveraging the face-name matching effect, which demonstrates an ability to match adults' names to their faces, we hypothesized that individuals would resemble their social stereotype (name) in adulthood but not in childhood. To test this hypothesis, children and adults were asked to match faces and names of children and adults. Results revealed that both adults and children correctly matched adult faces to their corresponding names, significantly above the chance level. However, when it came to children's faces and names, participants were unable to make accurate associations. Complementing our lab studies, we employed a machine-learning framework to process facial image data and found that facial representations of adults with the same name were more similar to each other than to those of adults with different names. This pattern of similarity was absent among the facial representations of children, thereby strengthening the case for the self-fulfilling prophecy hypothesis. Furthermore, the face-name matching effect was evident for adults but not for children's faces that were artificially aged to resemble adults, supporting the conjectured role of social development in this effect. Together, these findings suggest that even our facial appearance can be influenced by a social factor such as our name, confirming the potent impact of social expectations.

Controlling images and standards of beauty shapes body image: using a relational cultural approach to improve Black American women's well-being.

OBJECTIVES: Controlling images and racialized stereotypical myths inform Eurocentric and cultural standards of beauty that shape Black American women's body image and well-being. Cultural responsiveness is crucial in understanding the lived experiences of Black American women, the systemic oppressive factors that subjugate them, and the impacts on their mental health. DESIGN: An integrative review was conducted on controlling images and racialized stereotypes, standards of beauty, and body image to assess the contribution of these factors on Black American women's mental health, specifically, disordered eating, depression, and anxiety. Black Feminist and Intersectionality theories were used to conceptualize the role of controlling images and racialized stereotypes. RESULTS: A conceptual model is offered, and a discussion is provided to explain the contribution of controlling images and racialized stereotypes on the manifestation of standards of beauty and Black American women's perceptions of body image which leads to poor mental health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural responsiveness in therapeutic settings is imperative, as providers must understand the intersecting effects of controlling images and racialized stereotypes on Black American Women's well-being. Relational Cultural Theory is offered as a therapeutic modality that invites practitioners to move beyond symptom reduction and basic 'helping' interventions and gives emphasis to a contextual and relational approach that aims to ameliorate the impacts of systemic oppression and gender and racial marginalization.

Social media discourse on ageism, sexism, and racism: Analysis of 150 million tweets over 15 years.

BACKGROUND: Ageism is a major but oft-overlooked social determinant of health. In fact, it is widely accepted among scholars that ageism is one of the least acknowledged forms of inequality, although few empirical attempts have been made to substantiate this claim. This is the first study that quantifies the amount of discourse dedicated to ageism, sexism, and racism on Twitter. Specifically, we rely on the usage of hashtags as a proxy for the frequency of discussions surrounding each form of inequality over a 15-year period from 2007 to 2022. We also identify key events that triggered spikes in Twitter activity for each form of inequality. METHODS: Hashtags related to racism and sexism were extracted from past scholarship. We also employed a snowball sampling method whereby we queried the hashtags using Twitter's search function to identify other hashtags. As limited research has been conducted on ageism-related hashtags, we queried hashtags utilized by advocacy groups and adopted a snowball sampling method to compile other relevant hashtags. Tweets collected (N = 154,353,047) spanned 15 years, from August 23, 2007 to December 31, 2022. RESULTS: From 2007 to 2022, racism-related hashtags were used the most, followed by sexism-related hashtags and ageism-related hashtags. Racism-related hashtags (N = 99,250,348) were mentioned about 60 times more than ageism-related hashtags (N = 1,648,926). Sexism-related hashtags (N = 38,933,113) were mentioned 24 times more than ageism-related hashtags. The increasing linear trend of tweets associated with ageism (p < 0.001), sexism (p < 0.05), and racism (p < 0.05) reached significance. Incidents of racism and sexism often generated widespread public outrage. Conversely, instances of ageism rarely caused spikes in social media activity. Rather, these spikes were mainly observed during events such as the release of a report on ageism, a conference related to aging, or observances such as International Day of Older Persons. CONCLUSION: There is a need to hasten moves to raise awareness of ageism. To ensure that discussions on ageism are not confined to academic and policy circles, advocacy campaigns could be held to educate the public on the issue and its negative concomitants.

Gender stereotypes in eating disorder recognition.

PURPOSE: Eating disorder (ED) awareness is low. We assessed if ED symptom recognition, perceived need for treatment, perceived distress, perceived acceptability, and perceived prevalence differed depending on the gender of the individual with the ED. METHODS: 276 community participants were randomly assigned to one of three gender conditions (female, male, and non-binary), read three vignettes describing three different individuals with ED symptoms [anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED)], and then answered a series of questions related to participants ED symptom recognition, perceived need for treatment, perceived distress associated with having ED symptoms, perceived acceptability (e.g., the extent to which it may not be too bad to have an ED), and perceived prevalence. Mixed ANOVAs and chi-square analyses were conducted to examine differences between groups. RESULTS: There were no significant main effects of gender condition across the outcome variables. There were main effects of ED type for problem recognition, perceived need for treatment, perceived level of distress, and perceived prevalence, with participants being more likely to recognize a problem in the AN and BN vignettes than the BED vignettes, refer for treatment and rate a higher perceived level of distress in then AN vignette than the BN and BED vignettes, and perceive a higher prevalence rate in the BN vignette than the AN vignette. There was a significant gender by condition interaction for perceived prevalence, with participants rating a higher prevalence of AN in women and non-binary individuals than men and a higher prevalence of BN in women than non-binary individuals and men. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the importance of education on EDs and awareness that EDs can occur in any individual, regardless of their gender identification. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, experimental study with randomization.

Many Mickles Make a Muckle: Evidence That Gender Stereotypes Reemerge Spontaneously Via Cultural Evolution.

We explore whether societal gender stereotypes re-emerge as social information is repeatedly passed from person to person. We examined whether peoples' memories of personality attributes associated with female and male social targets became increasingly consistent with societal gender stereotypes as information was passed down social transmission chains. After passing through the memories of just four generations of participants, our initially gender-balanced micro-societies became rife with traditional gender stereotypes. While we found some evidence of the re-emergence of gender stereotypes in Experiment 1, we found the effects were stronger when targets appeared in a feminine-stereotyped occupational context (Experiment 2), and a masculine-stereotyped occupational context (Experiment 3); conversely, the re-emergence of gender stereotypes was attenuated when targets appeared in a single gender context (Experiment 4). The current findings demonstrate that gender schematic memory bias, if widely shared, might cause gender stereotypes to be maintained through cultural evolution.

An experimental study of the process of felt understanding in intergroup relations: Japanese and Chinese relations in Japan.

"Felt understanding" is a crucial determinant of positive interpersonal and intergroup relationships. However, the question of why felt understanding shapes intergroup relations has been neglected. In a pre-registered test of the process in intergroup relations with a sample from East Asia, we manipulated felt understanding (understood versus misunderstood by an outgroup) in an experimental study (N = 476). The results supported the expectation that felt understanding would lead to a more positive intergroup orientation and action intention. The results of parallel mediation analyses showed that felt understanding indirectly predicted intergroup outcomes through felt positive regard, intergroup overlap, and outgroup stereotypes. Furthermore, the results of post-hoc sequential mediation analyses indicated that felt understanding indirectly predicted intergroup outcomes sequentially through felt positive regard and intergroup overlap, followed by outgroup stereotypes.

Lower class competence stereotypes of the upper class increase class conflict: mediation by intergroup envy and moderation by upward social mobility belief.

Background: With increasing gaps between the rich and poor, potential risk factors for class conflict have attracted increasing attention from researchers. Although cognitive factors are known to be significant predictors of class-conflict behavior, limited attention has been paid to competence stereotypes of the upper class. When considering economic inequality, people pay more attention to competence stereotypes of the upper class, which may have adverse effects. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between competence stereotypes held by the lower class about the upper class and class conflict, and to test the mediating role of intergroup envy in this relationship and the moderating role of upward social mobility belief. Methods: Data were collected from a convenience sample from a comprehensive university in China. Based on scores on subjective and objective class scales, 284 lower-class college students (103 males and 181 females) aged 18-24 were selected to participate (both their subjective and objective scores were lower than 3 points). Their endorsement of upper-class competence stereotypes, intergroup envy, upward social mobility beliefs, and class conflict were measured using a well-validated self-report questionnaire. Results: The main data were analyzed using correlation analysis, the SPSS macro PROCESS (Model 7), and simple slope analysis. The results show a significant positive correlation between competence stereotypes held by lower-class college students toward the higher class and class conflict, and this connection was mediated by intergroup envy. Moreover, the indirect effect of intergroup envy on this link was moderated by upward social mobility beliefs; this effect was stronger for college students with lower upward social mobility beliefs. Conclusion: This study broadens our understanding of how and when competence stereotypes among the lower class concerning the upper class are related to class conflict. Researchers and policymakers should pay special attention to competence stereotypes of the upper class, especially intergroup envy and class conflict among lower-class individuals with lower levels of upward social mobility beliefs.

The gift of dyslexia: what is the harm in it?

Dyslexia, characterized by word reading and spelling deficits, has historically been viewed through a medical model of disability. However, a countermovement has emerged, emphasizing the strengths and abilities of neurodiverse individuals, including those with dyslexia. The concept of neurodiversity, which was initially introduced to help inform understanding of a mild form of autism, has expanded to include dyslexia. The expansion has occurred alongside a similar portrayal of dyslexia as an advantage that comes with specific gifts, creating a positive stereotype. While intended to empower individuals with dyslexia, the translation of the concept of neurodiversity to dyslexia in this way can inadvertently stigmatize and isolate those who do not fit this positive stereotype of dyslexia. This review, following a perspective review article format, synthesizes existing literature on the purported gifts of dyslexia and the implications of both negative and positive stereotypes on the well-being of individuals with dyslexia. The findings of this review underscore the importance of dispelling myths about dyslexia and advocating against the use of stereotypes, both negative and positive, in portraying dyslexia. Doing so will help remove the harmful effects of stigmatization, stereotype threat, and the potential of a fixed mindset inherent to being stereotyped.

Americans harbor much less favorable explicit sentiments toward young adults than toward older adults.

Public and academic discourse on ageism focuses primarily on prejudices targeting older adults, implicitly assuming that this age group experiences the most age bias. We test this assumption in a large, preregistered study surveying Americans' explicit sentiments toward young, middle-aged, and older adults. Contrary to certain expectations about the scope and nature of ageism, responses from two crowdsourced online samples matched to the US adult population (N = 1,820) revealed that older adults garner the most favorable sentiments and young adults, the least favorable ones. This pattern held across a wide range of participant demographics and outcome variables, in both samples. Signaling derogation of young adults more than benign liking of older adults, participants high on SDO (i.e., a key antecedent of group prejudice) expressed even less favorable sentiments toward young adults-and more favorable ones toward older adults. In two follow-up, preregistered, forecasting surveys, lay participants (N = 500) were generally quite accurate at predicting these results; in contrast, social scientists (N = 241) underestimated how unfavorably respondents viewed young adults and how favorably they viewed older adults. In fact, the more expertise in ageism scientists had, the more biased their forecasts. In a rapidly aging world with exacerbated concerns over older adults' welfare, young adults also face increasing economic, social, political, and ecological hardship. Our findings highlight the need for policymakers and social scientists to broaden their understanding of age biases and develop theory and policies that ponder discriminations targeting all age groups.

Attitudes and behaviours of mental health professionals in the care of transgender people: A qualitative study.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Mental health professionals' beliefs about transgender individuals vary, often influenced by stereotypes. There's recognition of healthcare needs, but limited knowledge impacts decision-making. Stereotypes persist regarding why transgender individuals seek mental health care. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Professionals' attitudes show both positive support and negative, discriminatory views. Lack of training and knowledge gaps hinder effective care for transgender individuals. Pathologising attitudes exist, associating gender diversity with mental health conditions. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Addressing training gaps is crucial for equitable care for transgender individuals. Challenging stereotypes and beliefs is necessary to reduce stigma and improve understanding. Enhancing knowledge and evidence-based tools will ensure safe and equal healthcare access. ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Transgender people face against significant barriers in accessing mental health services due to, among other reasons, discrimination and a lack of expertise among professionals. AIM: To explore the beliefs and attitudes of professionals in the mental health network of the region of Murcia towards transgender people, focusing on aspects such as knowledge, perceptions, and prejudices about gender identity. METHOD: We carried out a qualitative study involving 14 participants, conducting semi-structured interviews based on prior knowledge of the topic. We asked the professionals about their experiences and challenges in their clinical interaction with transgender users and followed an inductive-deductive process to analyse the data. RESULTS: Two main themes were identified from the interviews, which were sub-categorised into different sub-themes: (a) beliefs about transgender people: underlying factors and origins of gender diversity, health needs, and stereotypes about the demand for health care; (b) attitudes and behaviours of professionals towards transgender people: pathologization and attitudes towards decision-making. DISCUSSION/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Our findings suggest that mental health professionals tend to oversimplify the factors underlying gender diversity and hold certain stereotypical beliefs about these users that oversimplify the complexity of their experiences.

Different but also alike? Ingroup-outgroup phenomena among cyclists and e-scooter riders.

PROBLEM: In many countries, a new road user group, e-scooter riders, share the existing cycling infrastructure. The study aimed to investigate if an individual's status as a cyclist or e-scooter rider affects their social identity and whether it results in ingroup favoritism or outgroup discrimination. METHOD: An online experiment involving 179 cyclists and 64 e-scooter riders was conducted, where they rated the behavior of ingroup or outgroup members in six traffic scenarios. RESULTS: Participants rated dispositional attributions as more causally relevant than situational ones across all traffic scenarios. Cyclists and e-scooter riders were inclined to judge ingroup members' rule violations more harshly than those of outgroup members in terms of dispositional attribution ratings and punishment severity. For situational attributions, few indications of ingroup favoritism were observed for the e-scooter rider group. SUMMARY: Findings suggest initial indications of considerate coexistence, from the perspective of social identity theory, between the two modes of transport, supporting current regulations on the use of cycling infrastructure by e-scooter riders. Indications of ingroup discrimination, however, suggest that safety campaigning may target to promote courtesy within the cyclist and e-scooter rider groups.

Space-focused stereotypes of immigrant neighbourhoods.

Recent research suggests that stereotypes are not only applied to social groups but also to the physical spaces that social groups inhabit. We present three experiments investigating space-focused stereotype content and valence regarding immigrant and non-immigrant neighbourhoods. In Study 1a (N = 198), a pre-registered online experiment, we observed that participants associate more negative characteristics with immigrant neighbourhoods than with middle-class neighbourhoods. Whereas they imagined immigrant neighbourhoods as crime-ridden, dirty and dangerous, they imagined middle-class neighbourhoods to be quiet, clean and safe. Furthermore, whereas stereotype valence regarding immigrant neighbourhoods was negative, stereotype valence regarding middle-class neighbourhoods was positive, suggesting large effects. These results were replicated in Study 1b (N = 274), examining stereotypes of immigrant versus majority-German neighbourhoods. In Study 2 (N = 209), a pre-registered online experiment, we observed that space-focused stereotypes were more negative when cultural stereotypes rather than personal beliefs were assessed. Exploratory analyses revealed that, compared with majority-German neighbourhoods, participants imagined immigrant neighbourhoods to be lower in socioeconomic status and also reported feeling less psychologically connected to these neighbourhoods, regardless of whether space-focused stereotypes were personally endorsed or not. Lastly, a mega-analysis across studies suggested that effects of stereotypes of immigrant in comparison to non-immigrant places were very large (ds = 1.70). Together, the present findings indicate that mere differences in descriptions of places with reference to their demographic composition are sufficient to elicit large differences in associated stereotype content and valence.

Similarity or stereotypes? An investigation of how exemplar gender guides children's math learning.

How does the representation of boy and girl exemplars in curricular materials affect students' learning? We tested two competing hypotheses about the impact of gender exemplar on learning: First, in line with Social Learning Theory, children might exhibit a same-gender bias such that they prefer to learn from exemplars that match their gender (H1). Second, consistent with research on children's stereotypes about gender and math (e.g., associating boys with math competence), children might prefer to learn from exemplars who match their stereotypes about who is good at math (H2). We tested these hypotheses with children in middle school (N = 166), a time of development in which stereotypes are well-engrained, but before gender differences in math achievement appear. Children viewed two distinct math strategies, each presented by a boy or girl exemplar. We then examined which strategy children employed on a subsequent math test as well as their perceived similarity to the exemplars and their awareness or endorsement of gender-math stereotypes. Children did not preferentially learn from same-gender exemplars. However, children with stereotypes associating boys with math were more likely to learn the more difficult strategy when it was presented by a boy exemplar than children who did not associate boys with math. The results of this study provide valuable insight into how children's stereotypes impact their real-world learning. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: How does the representation of boy and girl exemplars in children's curricular materials affect their learning? Past research demonstrates that children prefer to learn from same-gender exemplars, but also hold a stereotype that boys are better at math. In the current study, we test whether children preferentially adopt a math strategy presented by a boy or girl exemplar. Children who held the belief that boys are better at math were more likely to learn a difficult strategy from boy exemplars than children who did not endorse this stereotype.

Attributions of Sexual Assault: Effects of Victim and Perpetrator Stereotypes, Presentation Order, and Participant Characteristics.

Research on sexual assault has shown that victim, perpetrator, and participant characteristics can influence evaluations of an assault. However, the studies have not examined a possible main effect or interactions from respectively introducing the victim or perpetrator first in an assault description, and previous studies have used participant samples with little diversity. We conducted two studies with factorial between-groups designs that varied presentation order in addition to victim and perpetrator stereotypicality and then assessed the impacts on participants' judgments of sexual assault scenarios. We used the online marketplace Prolific to collect large, diverse samples of participants, and in the second study, we collected roughly equal sample sizes of individuals who identified as Black females/males and White females/males. Our results indicate that multiple factors-including victim and perpetrator stereotypicality, presentation order, and participants' gender identities-significantly influenced judgments of the sexual assault, and there were numerous interactions. The results provide strongest support for a spreading activation model in which each factor can influence a participant's judgment of the other factors and the overall scenario. As such, the findings may bear on the legal handling of sexual assault cases as well as suggesting how different presentation formats and emphases in media coverage may sway the court of public opinion.