Asia Eaton is currently a 2011 Kauffman Professor and Research Scientist at Florida International University with joint appointments in Psychology, the College of Business Administration, and Women’s Studies.

In March of 2009, Asia received a Ph.D. in Social Psychology with a minor in Statistics from the University of Chicago, where she studied with Dr. Penny Visser. Her dissertation proposed and tested one means by which sex differences in persuasion may arise. Specifically, she examined the extent to which gender differences in persuadability can be produced by chronic or short-lived sex role salience.

Asia completed her undergraduate work at Carnegie Mellon University in 2002, receiving a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Philosophy.

Broadly, my research explores the relationship between social power and gender in the U.S. and the implications of enacting powerful roles and gender roles for individuals’ attitudes and behaviors.

Social Power and Attitude Strength
In my first line of research I have been examining the relationship between the possession of social power and resistance to attitude change. Thus far I have accrued experimental and correlational evidence that occupying low-power social roles encourages attitude flexibility and a willingness to yield to the views of others, while occupying high-power social roles encourages more rigid, unyielding attitudes. Research using a nationally-representative sample found that the social norm for powerholders to resist persuasion can cause resistance to attitude change by biasing thoughtful information processing. In a paper with Visser, Krosnick, & Anand (2009) I have also explored the possibility that an increase in the occupation of high-power social roles during the middle adult years may contribute to the reduced persuadability observed during this period of the life span (Visser & Krosnick, 1998). Finally, given that gender is intertwined with social power I have explored the relationship between gender roles and attitude strength and persuadability, finding that gender differences in persuadability and attitude strength should emerge when sex role norms are salient.

Leadership and Gender
In my second line of research I am probing some of the underlying reasons for men and women's different leadership trajectories. In one project with FIU's College of Business Administration I am tracking a sample of MBAs over multiple years for the purposen of examining whether or not successful woman leaders, on the whole, actually rely on the leadership strategies suggested by experimental and anecdotal evidence, and whether and to what extent they possess the traits and relationships hypothesized to generate success. In a second study with FIU's Center for Entrepreneurship and the Kauffman Foundation I am performing a nation-wide study examining the challenges, behaviors, and characteristics of a representative sample of established male and female entrepreneurs to determine the underlying causes for gender differences in business size and expansion. Please read about that study here: http://entrepreneurstudy.fiu.edu/

Dating and Gender
My third line of research examines power dynamics in heterosexual first-date scripts and other scripts for early romantic encounters. Research has shown that hypothetical scripts (aka “cultural scripts”) for first dates are heavily based on gender roles and male power (e.g., Bartoli & Clark, 2006; Laner & Vetrone, 2000; Morr Serewicz & Gale, 2008; Rose & Frieze 1989; 1993). In my research with Dr. Suzanna Rose I explore the variety and content of the scripts young people are actually using in initial romantic encounters today (aka “interpersonal scripts”) and whether alternative scripts to traditional dates, such as hanging out and hooking up, are also heavily based on gender role norms. While traditional dates are still prominent in some subgroups of young adults, hanging-out has become an increasingly popular form of interaction and has the potential to be a relatively egalitarian initial romantic encounter script.

Publications

Eagly, A., Eaton, A., Rose, S., Riger, S., & McHugh, M. (In press). Feminism and psychology: Analysis of a half-Century of research on women and gender, American Psychologist

Eaton, A. A., & Rose, S. (2011). Has heterosexual dating become more egalitarian? A 35-year review using Sex Roles. Sex Roles, 64(11-12), 843-862.

Eaton, A. A., Visser, P. S., Krosnick, J. A., & Anand, S. (2009). Social power and attitude strength over the life course. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35,1646-60.

Eaton, A. A., & Visser, P. S. (2008). Attitudes. In Lavrakas, P. J. (Ed), Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods, SAGE Publications, Inc.

Eaton, A. A., & Visser, P. S. (2008). Attitude importance: Understanding the causes and consequences of passionately held views. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2/4, 1719-1736.

Eaton, A. A., Majka, E. A., & Visser, P. S. (2008). Emerging perspectives on the structure and function of attitude strength. European Review of Social Psychology, 19, 165-201.

 

Manuscripts Under Review

Eaton, A. A., & Rose, S. (Under review). Scripts for actual first date and hanging-out encounters
among young heterosexual Hispanic adults

Rose, A., & Eaton, A. A. (Invited submission under review). Lesbian love, sex, and relationships. In Paludi, M. (Ed.) An Essential Handbook of Women's Sexuality, Praeger.

 

Manuscripts In Prep

Eaton, A. A., Visser, P. S., & Peterson, C. M. (In prep). The existence and origin of gender stereotypes about persuadability.

Eaton, A. A., McHugh, M., & Rose, S. (In prep). Has Feminism changed introductory psychology? Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the top 10 introductory psychology textbooks in the U.S. in 2010.

Eaton, A. A., & Stephens, D. (In prep). Heteronormativity and sexual coercion: How endorsement of heteronormative beliefs relates to acceptance of and experience with verbal sexual coercion

 

Courses Taught

WST 4931/PSY 4930/WST 5936: Women and Leadership (FIU)
SOP 3015: Social and Personality Development (FIU)
PSY 4916 & 4930: Power, Women, & Relationships Lab (FIU)

PSYC 20200: Psychological Research Methods (UChicago)
PSYC 21107: The Social Psychology of Gender and Power (UChicago)