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Social Science Computer Review
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A Computer Application for Research on Gender

Using Online Context as a Mediating Variable in the Investigation of Sex-Role Orientation and Care-Oriented Moral Reasoning

Lynn M. Mulkey

University of South Carolina, Beaufort, mulkey{at}sc.edu

Tasha D. Anderson

U.S. Government Patent Office; University of Maryland, College Park

This study accounts for weak and inconsistent evidence in prior research on differential use by men and women of care-oriented moral reasoning by investigating the indirect effects of sex-role subscription on moral viewpoint through interactional context. An online computer context for solving moral dilemmas by minimizing gender cues and bias due to sex-role demands in interaction is introduced to encourage reliance on internalized gender variations in moral orientation. Observation of a matched sample of 104 participants assigned to treatment and control groups tested whether the relationship between sex-role orientation and care-oriented moral reasoning is stronger for sex-role-stereotyped than for undifferentiated individuals online versus face-to-face. A statistically significant difference was found, suggesting the effectiveness of the context control in invoking a gender difference in moral reasoning. Implications are for incorporating computer interactional context as a moderating variable in experimental designs, especially those employed in research testing gender theory.

Key Words: instrumentation • computer interaction • computer-assisted research • gender research tools • gender theory • computer-mediated communication

Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 20, No. 2, 137-148 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/089443930202000204
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