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Perceptions of Singles and Single Parents: A Laboratory Experiment 1
Author(s) -
Eby Lillian T.,
Allen Tammy D.,
Noble Carrie L.,
Lockwood Angie L.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2004.tb02009.x
Subject(s) - stipend , relocation , psychology , perception , maturity (psychological) , social psychology , single mothers , developmental psychology , neuroscience , political science , computer science , law , programming language
Two hundred forty undergraduates rated their perceptions of an individual for a job requiring relocation using a 2 × 3 (Gender: Single Male, Single Female × Child: No Child, 3‐Year‐Old, 6‐Year‐Old) between‐subjects experimental design. Findings indicate that single parents are perceived as having a more difficult time adjusting to a move but are also perceived to be more mature than childless singles. Single parents are also more likely to be offered a job that did not require relocation and are more likely to be awarded a merit‐based stipend than childless singles. Support was also found for the hypothesized mediating role of perceptions of adjustment and maturity in understanding actions taken toward single parents. The results are discussed in terms of implications for future research and applied practice.