The kernel of truth in gender stereotypes: Consider the avocado, not the apple

Abstract

Social perception accuracy includes stereotype accuracy, defined as holding correct beliefs about social groups. The present article examines this type of accuracy in relation to gender stereotypes, defined by beliefs about differences between women and men. After locating all studies yielding comparisons between judges' stereotypes and relevant criterion data, we extracted their results and/or conducted original analyses of the raw data reported in the studies. Comparisons of judges' estimates to the criteria yielded high accuracy about the female versus male direction of differences, with 85% of 673 estimates of gender differences aligning with criteria. Consensual sensitivity correlations that assessed judges' collective awareness of the relative size and direction of the criterion differences also favored accuracy with a mean correlation of .77. Analysis of bias in these beliefs revealed both under- and overestimation of the differences, depending on the type of criterion. This review's finding of good evidence for gender stereotype accuracy is consistent with the extensive exposure men and women have to other men and women in daily life.