The Impact Of Haptic Experiences On Gender Stereotype

With the development of the embodied cognition,researchers have revealed the subtle influence of many embodied factors on mental processes.Previous studies have shown that sensory perception is an important factor,but the embodied effect of tactile input on cognitive process has not been fully studied compared with the embodied effect of audio-visual input.Based on that,this study aimed to examine tactile input(softness vs.hardness;roughness vs.smoothness;lightness vs.heaviness)impact on gender stereotypes.The study includes 6 small experiments,experiment 1 and 2 respectively investigated the influence of softness/hardness tactile sensation on the behavioral operation of participants in the sex role trait and sex-typed object judgement test(rating and reaction time);experiment 3 and 4 respectively explored the influence of roughness/smoothness tactile sensation on the behavioral operation in the above two tests;experiment 5 and 6 respectively studied the influence of lightness/heaviness tactile sensation on the behavioral operation in the above two tests.The results of experiment 1 and 2 demonstrated that the tactile experience of softness and hardness had the effect of "softening" and "solidifying"people's gender stereotypes,in other words,when the participants touch the soft objects,the gender stereotypes were weakened,while touch the hard objects,the gender stereotypes were strengthened.The results of experiment 3 and 4 manifested that the tactile experience of roughness and smoothness had no significant effect on gender stereotypes.The results of experiment 5 and 6 indicated that the tactile experience of lightness and heaviness had no significant effect on gender stereotypes.Generally,the results of study confirmed that the process of gender stereotype is mediated by the embodiment of soft/hard tactile cues,but not by other tactile systems such as rough/smooth and light/heavy tactile cues.