Gender differences in emotional and attributional responses…

Title: Gender Differences in Emotional and Attributional Responses to Ambiguous Social Provocations. Hypothesis 1 Higher levels of Hostile Attribution Bias (HAB) will be positively associated with higher levels of negative emotional reactions (e.g., anger, frustration, embarrassment) in social situations with ambiguous provocative stimuli. Explanation: According to the Social Information Processing model (Dodge, 2006), individuals who perceive hostile intentions in ambiguous social situations activate stronger emotional reactions, such as anger and frustration. Research, e.g. (Coccaro et al., 2009) showed that the tendency to attribute hostile intentions is associated with stronger negative emotions, suggesting that cognitive perception directly influences the emotional level. Hypothesis 2 Men will report higher levels of negative emotional reactions to ambiguous social challenges compared to women. Explanation: Research by Coccaro et al. (2009) suggests that men may exhibit greater emotional arousal, particularly anger and frustration, when they perceive social challenge. Furthermore, gender socialization theories suggest that men tend to express more externalized forms of negative emotions, while women often regulate or express them differently. Hypothesis 3 Men will exhibit higher levels of Attribution of Hostile Intention compared to women when interpreting ambiguous social situations. Explanation: Based on the findings of Coccaro et al. (2009), men tend to attribute hostile intent more often to ambiguous social situations, especially when there is a perceived insult or threat. This tendency has been associated with more direct and confrontational forms of social interpretation and response. Hypothesis 4 Women will be more likely than men to attribute ambiguous social challenges to non-hostile or situational causes. Explanation: Coccaro et al. (2009) observed that women tend to take the context of the situation more into account and give more innocent interpretations of the behavior of others. This way of attribution may function protectively, reducing the likelihood of hostile interpretations and the intensity of negative emotions. Hypothesis 5 Attribution of Hostile Intention will significantly predict the intensity of negative emotional reactions across all participants, regardless of gender. Explanation: According to the findings of Coccaro et al. (2009), the tendency to attribute hostile intent is a strong predictor of emotional intensity in both men and women. Social-cognitive theory argues that cognitive interpretations precede emotions, therefore higher levels of HAB lead to increased emotional activation regardless of gender.

for the quistionnaire will be use the Social Processing-Attributional Bias Questionnaire (SIP-ABQ)

The dataset where about 100-120 adults both genter and anlysis will be by spss

Mandatory references

1.Dodge, K. A. (2006). Translational science in action: Hostile attributional style and the development of aggressive behavior problems. Development and Psychopathology, 18(3), 791- 814. 2. Coccaro, E. F., Noblett, K. L., & McCloskey, M. S. (2009). Attributional and emotional responses to socially ambiguous cues: Validation of a new assessment of social/emotional information processing in healthy adults and impulsive aggressive patients. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 43(10), 915-925.