Perceptual Set and Gender a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another List the details that were remembered and left out when the story was about a male List the details that were remembered and left out when the story was about a female

John (or Sylvia) received a letter in the mail notifying him that he lost the Texas State Achievement in Math Competition. He had wanted to win and was unhappy with the results. He had been the best student in his math class last year. Losing really hurt his self-esteem. He found out that Terry (or Terri) Browning had done better than him. He hated Terry Browning for that. To make himself feel better, he cried, baked cookies, kicked something, took a long bath, and talked to his best friend. After that, he went to the mall where he shopped and played video games in the arcade until he had beaten all of the records. He then lifted weights at the gym and went home to watch The Princess Bride.

Perceptual Set and Gender Questions 1) List the details that were remembered and left out when the story was about a male. 2) List the details that were remembered and left out when the story was about a female. 3) What is a perceptual set? How does the term relate to this activity?

*Notes Four volunteers, two for each group Start with a male for John, female for Sylvia