PHD RESEARCH WORK

FOLLOW-UP STUDY ON THE 1ST STUDY:
The first study conducted looked at the judgments of people with gender-nonconforming appearances and expressions by people who show high concerns for masculine and feminine honour. This study found that a masculine appearing man was perceived as having a more warm, moral, dominant and popular character by male particioants who strongly endorse masculine honour than by those who weakly endorse masculine honour. A masculine appearing man was also judged as more moral and popular than a feminine appearing man for male participants with strong masculine honour concerns. We also found differences in behavioral intentions and emotional reactions between high and low masculine honour endorsers. Male participants who strongly endorse masculine honour reported more willingness to be friends with a masculine appearing man than male participants who weakly endorsed masculine honour. Additionally, a masculine appearing man elicited much less frustration, anger, shame and disgust than a feminine appearing man on male participants who strongly endorsed masculine honour, and a masculine appearing man elicited these negative emotions much less on male participants who strongly endorsed masculine honour than those who weakly endorsed masculine honour.

In the case of a female participants, a feminine appearing woman was perceived as having less competence, moral character and warmth by female participants who weakly endorsed feminine honour than those who strongly endorsed feminine honour. Interestingly also, low feminine honour females judged a feminine appearing woman more negatively in these trait domains than a masculine appearing woman. In addition, females who strongly endorsed feminine honour rated a feminine appearing woman as more popular than those who weakly endorsed feminine honour, and female participants with high feminine honour concerns rated a feminine appearing woman as more popular than a masculine appearing woman. In terms of emotional reactions, a feminine appearing woman elicited more comfort among the high feminine honour females than among those with low feminine honour concerns. Females with low feminine honour concerns felt more proud and fondness by a masculine appearing woman than a feminine appearing woman.

Overall, the results of this study shows that males with high masculine and females with high feminine honour concerns rate the gender nonconforming males and females more negatively, respectively. Next study on this line of research should look at causal effects, by manipulating a concern for reputation or honour threat, and examining whether people show masculine or feminine preferences themselves in order to restrore their damaged honour/reputation.


PROPOSAL: Maintenance and Protection of Honor by behaving in Gender-conforming ways
Even though it seems like “honour” in the contemporary Western society is an outdated concept, in some societies honour is still a salient socially organizing theme (e.g., known as honour cultures: Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Latin American countries and southern US). Honour codes define moral and respectable behaviour in highly gender-specific ways, and psychologists have paid well
attention to the link between honour codes and the legitimization of domestic violence and male aggression (e.g., Cohen, et al, 1996; Dietrich & Schuette, 2013; Vandello & Cohen, 2003, 2004: Vandello, et al., 2009). Specifically, Vandello and colleagues (2003) found support for the hypothesis that men who strongly abide by the honour codes resort to violence as a means to repair their damaged masculine honour. Yet we know much less about the non-violent manifestations and affirmations of honour in the everyday context and how honour codes may be related to subtle sexism. For instance, how does honour play a role in making men and women confirm to the society’s understanding of masculinity and femininity, and how does this reflect in their choices and behaviours? Do successful women who are in prestigious positions in society (e.g., leaders or managers) pose a threat to men’s honour, and likewise do men in domestic roles (e.g., childcarers and house husbands) pose a threat to women’s honour? When men and women feel that their honour is threatened, are they more likely to prefer romantic partners who are in more traditional roles (men in breadwinning roles, women in caretaking roles)? In this research project, we will investigate these questions using comparative designs that include members of honour (e.g., Pakistani, Indian) vs. non-honour cultures (e.g., white British).


Actually, yeah I like the idea for the first study we did :) I should definitely carry on and do a manipulation study to see if men make more masculine choices and women make more feminine choices to restore their honour. That is that. We found similar trend of results for judgment, emotional reactions and behavioural intention measures. I should quickly set a manipulation study in qualtrics and that can stay ready. I want to set up studies and make them ready and during the term get data for them simultaneously...

Honour Manipulation (Attack vs. Enhance): 
In the Honour Attack condition: Humiliate someone
In the Honour Enhancing condition: Praise someone
See Uskul (2012) Honour Bound: Cultural Construction of Honour in the US and in Turkey

By the end of summer I want to put up a manipulation of honour study, and then see if men and women restore their honour by making more masculine and feminine choices (this can be studied in different levels when masculinity and femininity can be affirmed and publicly displayed - from activity/food preferences to relationship choices).

RESEARCH QUESTION FOR THE 2ND STUDY: 
MORALIZATION OF CHARACTERS/ACTIONS WHO VIOLATE HONOR NORMS:

Do people in honour cultures especially judge behaviours that violate the norms in moral terms?
Do inappropriate behaviour gets judged as less moral and less honorable for Turkish participants than for British? (Onur kulturlerindeki insanlar norm disina cikan davranislari daha mi cok ahlaki acidan degerlendiriyor?)


OTHER RESEARCH QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE ON HONOUR:

The mediation studies.