Androgyny and the BSRI

• What does androgyny refer to in terms of personality?


  A balance of masculine and feminine characteristics
• What is a key characteristic of an androgynous appearance?

  It's difficult to identify if someone is male or female
• In which fields is androgyny often viewed as an asset?

  Music and fashion
• According to psychology, what type of personality is androgyny?

  A balance of masculine and feminine traits
• What is the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI)?

  • Bem's 1974 scale presents 20 characteristics each of masculine and feminine traits.
  • Respondents rate themselves on a 7-point rating scale.
  • Scores classified on masculinity-femininity and androgynous-undifferentiated dimensions.
• In the BSRI, how many characteristics of masculine and feminine traits are presented?

  20 of each
• What type of scale do respondents use in the BSRI?

  7 point rating scale
• On what two dimensions are BSRI scores classified?

  Masculinity-femininity and androgynous-undifferentiated
• How were the traits on the BSRI developed?

  Participants rated 200 traits on desirability for each sex
• How many participants were involved in the developing of the BSRI?


  50 male and 50 female
• How many traits were initially rated by participants in the development of the BSRI?

  200
• How did the BSRI piloting results relate to participants' self-descriptions?

  They corresponded with their descriptions
• How was the BSRI's test-retest reliability assessed?

  Students tested a month later
• What was the outcome of the BSRI's test-retest reliability assessment?

  Similar scores were revealed
• What kind of validity does the BSRI lack due to its ethnocentric nature?

  External validity
• What term describes the ethnocentric nature of the BSRI?

  Imposed etic
• What is a criticism of simplifying gender into a single score?

  Gender is a complex area
• What does PAQ stand for?

  Personal Attribute Questionnaire
• What dimensions replace masculinity-femininity in the PAQ?

  Instrumentality and expressivity
• What do the BSRI and PAQ suggest about quantifying gender?

  Gender can be quantified
• Which did Golombok and Fivush (1994) claim?


  Gender is a global concept.
• What other factors should be considered to understand gender?

  Interests and self perception
• How many participants were in Bem's pilot study and what were the results?

  1000 students and there results corresponded with their own descriptions of gender identity
• What did Bem argue about androgyny?

  High androgyny is associated with psychological well-being and those equally balance between male and female traits are better equipped to adapt to a range of situations and contexts.
• What did Adams and Sherer (1985) find?


  Some researchers argue that people who display a greater proportion of masculine traits are better adjusted as these are highly valued in Western society.