Rebecca Bigler

Rebecca Bigler is a developmental psychologist known for research on social stereotyping (based on gender or race), prejudice, and children's perceptions of discrimination.[1] Bigler is Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Rebecca Bigler
Bigler in 2019
OccupationProfessor of Psychology
Academic background
Alma materOberlin College (B.A.)
Pennsylvania State University (Ph.D.)
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Texas at Austin
Doctoral studentsChristia Brown

Bigler advocates for use of gender-neutral language and endorses use of ze as a personal pronoun to replace he/she and hir to replace his/her.[2] Bigler is a recognized teacher of psychology and recipient of numerous teaching awards from the University of Texas at Austin, including the Raymond Dickson Centennial Endowed Teaching Fellowship award in 2011.[3] Bigler is well known as an advocate against single-sex education.[4] They argue that segregation based on sex or any other social characteristic is likely to increase prejudice based on that characteristic.[5][6]

Biography

Bigler received a B.A. degree at Oberlin College in 1986. They attended graduate school at Pennsylvania State University where they began conducting research on gender schemata and internalized sexualization under the supervision of Lynn Liben.[7] Bigler obtained a master's degree in 1988[8] and a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology in 1991.[9] With Liben, Bigler conducted widely cited research on gender differentiation in development, social stereotyping and prejudice.[10][11] Liben and Bigler also co-edited the 2014 volume The Role of Gender in Educational Contexts and Outcomes.[12]

Bigler joined the faculty of the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin in 1991. Currently, Bigler is the executive director of the American Council for Coeducational Schooling.[13]

Research

Bigler's research program has focuses on the development of stereotyped attitudes associated with gender and race/ethnicity. They are known for work highlighting the impact of gender stereotypes on children's development, especially for girls.[14][15] Bigler aims to discover how and when children develop stereotyped views, and what external and internal observations impact children and their thinking. Bigler and their former student Sarah McKenney express concerns about girls' limited choices in Halloween costumes, and the tendency for girls' clothing and toys to promote the value of "being hot and sexy."[16] Their research has shown that adolescent girls who internalize beliefs about the importance of being sexually attractive to boys show increased rates of body surveillance and body shaming[17] and perform worse in school and on standardized test scores than girls who score low on such beliefs.[18] From a young age, girls may internalize gender stereotypes about how girls should act and behave, including how they should look and the types of clothes they should wear. Girls who internalize the beliefs that they must be attractive to men may spend more time on makeup and focus less on academics.

Other research has examined the formation of intergroup attitudes among students in school settings.[19][20][21] Bigler speaks strongly about how models provided to children contribute to social stereotyping and prejudice among children as they grow up.[22] To Bigler, saying "Good morning boys and girls" is similar to saying "Good morning blacks and whites" as it draws attention to social categories that result in children viewing themselves and others differently.[23] In a widely cited study,[19] Bigler examined gender stereotyping in relation to classroom practices. In some classes, the teacher referred to students by gender ("boys" vs. "girls") while, in others classes, the teacher referred to mixed gender groups according to t-shirt colors ("red" or blue"). Teachers were explicitly instructed not to favor or show preference to one group of children over the other. After four weeks, children in classes where they were referred to as "boys and girls" showed increased gender stereotyping, whereas no change was observed in classes that used t-shirt colors to distinguish groups. Teachers may unknowingly impose gender stereotypes upon their pupils when they refer children as boys and girls. Such language appears to create tensions in the classroom that impact how children view and treat one another.

Selected publications
  • Bigler, R. S. (1995). The role of classification skill in moderating environmental influences on children's gender stereotyping: A study of the functional use of gender in the classroom. Child Development, 66(4), 1072–1087.
  • Bigler, R. S., Jones, L. C., & Lobliner, D. B. (1997). Social categorization and the formation of intergroup attitudes in children. Child Development, 68(3), 530–543.
  • Bigler, R. S., & Liben, L. S. (2007). Developmental intergroup theory: Explaining and reducing children's social stereotyping and prejudice. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(3), 162–166.
  • Hyde, J. S., Bigler, R. S., Joel, D., Tate, C. C., & van Anders, S. M. (2018). The future of sex and gender in psychology: Five challenges to the gender binary. American Psychologist. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000307
  • Liben, L. S., & Bigler, R. S. (2002). The developmental course of gender differentiation: Conceptualizing, measuring, and evaluating constructs and pathways. Monographs of the society for research in child development, i-183.
  • Signaler, M. L., Bigler, R. S., & Liben, L. S. (1993). Developmental differences in children′ s gender schemata about others: A meta-analytic review. Developmental Review, 13(2), 147–183.

References
  1. Dell’Antonia, Kj (2014-11-25). "Talking About Racism With White Kids". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  2. Bigler, Rebecca S.; Leaper, Campbell (2015-08-13). "Gendered Language". Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2 (1): 187–194. doi:10.1177/2372732215600452. ISSN 2372-7322. S2CID 146456507.
  3. "UT College of Liberal Arts". liberalarts.utexas.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-01.
  4. "The case against single-sex schooling". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-11-01.
  5. "Old Tactic Gets New Use: Public Schools Separate Girls and Boys". The New York Times. 2014-11-30. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  6. Bigler, Rebecca S.; Signorella, Margaret L. (2011-07-31). "Single-Sex Education: New Perspectives and Evidence on a Continuing Controversy". Sex Roles. 65 (9–10): 659–669. doi:10.1007/s11199-011-0046-x. ISSN 0360-0025. S2CID 145490529.
  7. "Neurotree - Rebecca Bigler Family Tree". neurotree.org. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  8. Bigler, Rebecca S.; Liben, Lynn S. (1990). "The Role of Attitudes and Interventions in Gender-Schematic Processing". Child Development. 61 (5): 1440–1452. doi:10.2307/1130754. JSTOR 1130754. PMID 2245736.
  9. Bigler, Rebecca S.; Liben, Lynn S. (1992). "Cognitive Mechanisms in Children's Gender Stereotyping: Theoretical and Educational Implications of a Cognitive-Based Intervention". Child Development. 63 (6): 1351–1363. doi:10.2307/1131561. JSTOR 1131561. PMID 1446556.
  10. Liben, Lynn S.; Bigler, Rebecca S. (2002). "The Developmental Course of Gender Differentiation: Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Evaluating Constructs and Pathways". Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. 67 (2): i–183. JSTOR 3181530. PMID 12465575.
  11. Bigler, Rebecca S.; Liben, Lynn S. (2007). "Developmental intergroup theory: Explaining and reducing children's social stereotyping and prejudice". Current Directions in Psychological Science. 16 (3): 162–166. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00496.x. ISSN 0963-7214. S2CID 145065729.
  12. Bigler, Rebecca S.; Liben, Lynn S. (2014-09-04). The role of gender in educational contexts and outcomes (First ed.). San Diego, CA. ISBN 9780124115767. OCLC 891381907.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. "People | T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics". thesanfordschool.asu.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
  14. "Boys and Girls, Constrained by Toys and Costumes". The New York Times. 2015-10-30. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  15. "Rebecca Bigler | The Daily Texan". www.dailytexanonline.com. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  16. Bigler, Rebecca S.; McKenney, Sarah (2014-10-31). "Sexy Halloween Costumes for Girls? Now That's Scary". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  17. McKenney, Sarah J.; Bigler, Rebecca S. (2014-11-03). "Internalized Sexualization and Its Relation to Sexualized Appearance, Body Surveillance, and Body Shame Among Early Adolescent Girls". The Journal of Early Adolescence. 36 (2): 171–197. doi:10.1177/0272431614556889. ISSN 0272-4316. S2CID 145653521.
  18. McKenney, Sarah J.; Bigler, Rebecca S. (2014-10-27). "High Heels, Low Grades: Internalized Sexualization and Academic Orientation Among Adolescent Girls". Journal of Research on Adolescence. 26 (1): 30–36. doi:10.1111/jora.12179. ISSN 1050-8392.
  19. Bigler, Rebecca S. (1995). "The Role of Classification Skill in Moderating Environmental Influences on Children's Gender Stereotyping: A Study of the Functional Use of Gender in the Classroom". Child Development. 66 (4): 1072–1087. doi:10.2307/1131799. JSTOR 1131799.
  20. Bigler, Rebecca S.; Jones, Lecianna C.; Lobliner, Debra B. (1997). "Social Categorization and the Formation of Intergroup Attitudes in Children". Child Development. 68 (3): 530–543. doi:10.2307/1131676. JSTOR 1131676. PMID 9249964.
  21. Patterson, Meagan M.; Bigler, Rebecca S. (2006). "Preschool Children's Attention to Environmental Messages About Groups: Social Categorization and the Origins of Intergroup Bias" (PDF). Child Development. 77 (4): 847–860. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00906.x. hdl:1808/11798. ISSN 0009-3920. PMID 16942493.
  22. "Teaching Tolerance". 2017-06-28.
  23. "Good Morning Boys and Girls". Teaching Tolerance. 2005-09-01. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
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