Crystal L Hoyt
Biographic Data
| ID | 1660103 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Crystal L Hoyt |
| GIVEN NAMES | Crystal L |
| FAMILY NAME | Hoyt |
| SIGNATURE | HOYT C L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Richmond |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9108-3910 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 34 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 111 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 33 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Challenging the Gender Status Quo
We offer a new perspective on gender‐based biases in leadership evaluations by examining individual differences in beliefs about the gender status quo. Specifically, across three studies ( N = 756), we tested how gender system‐justifying beliefs interact with leader gender to impact leadership evaluations. In Study 1, participants evaluated a CEO's leadership based on their decision to appoint either a female or a male leader. In Studies 2 and 3,…
Partisan Prejudice
Although there is a tendency to think all forms of essentialism—the belief that characteristics are inherent and unchangeable—are similar, some theories suggest different foundations and outcomes. We investigated if belief systems about the stability of political ideology (trait essentialism) and the fundamental nature of partisans (social essentialism) predict prejudice in opposite ways and if they do so via differential relations with blame. Ac…
Distinguishing between individual and societal socioeconomic mobility beliefs
We investigated two related mindsets about the malleable or fixed nature of socioeconomic mobility and their distinct influences on stigma toward those in poverty. Across four studies, conducted in the United States ( N = 1,057), we explored mindsets about individual potential to change social class, what we called individual mobility mindsets (I_MM), and mindsets about societal opportunities for socioeconomic mobility, or societal mobility minds…
Gender Identity Awareness as a Shadow Pillar of the Gender Hierarchy
Believing that differences between women and men should be recognized and valued—that is, endorsing gender identity awareness—is a common way of approaching gender diversity, including efforts to promote equity. However, such approaches can also reinforce stereotypes and justify existing inequalities, particularly when they reflect essentialist attributions for gender differences (Martin, 2023). To the extent that an identity awareness approach t…
Addiction stigma
The role of health campaigns in stigma toward those with anorexia nervosa
Mindsets of poverty
Belief systems impact poverty reduction efforts, as they can enhance, or diminish, support for redistributive economic policies. We examined the predictive utility of mindsets about the changeability (growth mindsets) or the stability (fixed mindsets) of the nature of poverty in society. We conducted six studies, two pre‐registered, using both cross‐sectional ( N = 763) and experimental methods ( N = 1361). Growth mindsets of poverty in society p…
Stereotypic beliefs contribute to gender disparities in the field of economics
Why are women under-represented in the field of economics relative to men? We propose that stereotypes associated with economists contribute to women’s interest in the field. We test the predictions that economists are stereotypically associated with low levels of communion and high levels of agency and that this type of stereotype content is associated with women’s lower interest in the field. In Study 1 (N = 883), stereotypes associated with pe…
Mindsets of mental illness
A systematic review and meta-analysis of growth mindset interventions
Growth mindsets of people can promote interracial contact intentions among White Americans via positive expectations and reduced anxiety
We explored whether believing that people have the capacity to adapt and grow (i.e., growth mindset) might help to shape White Americans’ intentions to engage in interracial contact. Across four studies ( N = 621), growth mindsets of people were positively associated with intentions to engage in positive interracial contact. In Studies 2–4, in an attempt to explore causation, we successfully manipulated mindsets. Although these manipulations did …
When coupled with anti‐egalitarianism, colour evasion predicts protection of the status quo during a university‐wide movement for racial justice
Movements for racial justice on college campuses can have wide‐ranging implications for promoting justice and well‐being. In this research, we sought to better understand how the dominant ideology of colour evasion might serve to protect the inequitable status quo. Believing that ‘people should not see race anymore’ can have different implications for efforts to reduce racial inequities depending on how this belief system is construed. Although o…
Well‐being in the time of Covid ‐19
Communications about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) often employ metaphors, which can help people understand complex issues. For example, public health messages may focus on “fighting” the disease, attempting to rouse people to action by instilling a sense of urgency. In contrast, change‐focused metaphors may foster growth mindsets and self‐efficacy—cornerstones of well‐being and action. We randomly assigned participants to read one of t…
Believing in the American Dream Sustains Negative Attitudes toward Those in Poverty
A critical lever in the fight against poverty is to improve attitudes toward those living in poverty. Attempting to understand the factors that impact these attitudes, we ask: Does believing that meritocracy exists (descriptive meritocracy) sustain negative attitudes? Using cross-sectional (N = 301) and experimental (N = 439) methods, we found that belief in the United States as a meritocracy is associated with blaming people living in poverty an…
How Social‐Class Background Influences Perceptions of Political Leaders
In this research, we contribute to a nascent literature examining how cues to social class can guide voters' political judgments. Drawing upon and merging a voting‐cues framework with the stereotype‐content model, we test predictions that, relative to those from high‐class backgrounds, candidates from lower‐ and working‐class backgrounds will be perceived to be more ideologically liberal, warmer, and will be evaluated more positively. We test the…
Growth Mindset Messaging in Stigma-Relevant Contexts
Growth mindsets are increasingly used to promote learning, development, and health. The increased popularity resulted in scrutiny and disputes about utility. The current work reviews a perspective critical to the debate. Namely, we focus on emerging research that examines both the favorable and potentially adverse consequences of growth mindset messaging in stigma-relevant contexts. This double-edged sword model merges the mindset perspective wit…
A Growth Mind-Set Intervention Improves Interest but Not Academic Performance in the Field of Computer Science
We investigated whether a growth mindset intervention could be leveraged to promote performance and interest in computer science, through what mechanisms it might do so, and whether effects were stronger for women than for men. In particular, we explored whether the growth mindset intervention improved academic performance and career interest by increasing intrinsic value. We developed and tested a scalable, online, 4-session growth mindset inter…
Lay Theories of Heroism and Leadership
Whereas leadership is generally perceived as a masculine enterprise, heroism research suggests that people view heroes as similarly masculine, but having more feminine traits. We predicted that heroes will be evaluated higher than leaders in communion but not differ in agency. In Study 1, heroes were perceived to have higher communion and similarly high agency as leaders. In Studies 2 and 3, we replicated these trait ratings focusing on perceptio…
Sociocultural and individual manifestations of sexual stigma
Understanding the complex manifestations of sexual stigma is crucial in helping to prevent discrimination toward sexual minorities. In this research, we examined the role of heterosexism within political ideology systems and the process through which these systems promote discrimination by focusing on sexual prejudice. Across four studies, we tested the predictions that more conservative political ideologies and greater levels of sexual prejudice…
Empowering Mimicry
In two studies we investigated the behavioral process through which visible female leader role models empower women in leadership tasks. We proposed that women tend to mimic the powerful (open) body postures of successful female role models, thus leading to more empowered behavior and better performance on a challenging leadership task, a process we called empowering mimicry . In Study 1, we experimentally manipulated the body posture of the male…
Wealth inequality and activism
What motivates people to engage in activism against wealth inequality? The simple answer is perceiving injustice. However, the current work demonstrates that these perceptions depend on political ideologies. More specifically, for political liberals who frequently question the fairness of the economic system, messages simply describing the extent of the inequality (distributive injustice) are enough to motivate activism (Study 1). For political c…
An online growth mindset intervention in a sample of rural adolescent girls
BackgroundStudents living in rural areas of the United States exhibit lower levels of educational attainment than their suburban counterparts. Innovative interventions are needed to close this educational achievement gap.AimsWe investigated whether an online growth mindset intervention could be leveraged to promote academic outcomes.SampleWe tested the mindset intervention in a sample of 222 10th-grade adolescent girls (M age = 15.2; 38% White, 2…
Managing to clear the air
The obesity stigma asymmetry model
The American Medical Association hoped that labeling obesity a disease would not only highlight the seriousness of the epidemic and elicit resources but also reduce stigma against obese individuals. In the current work, we tested the consequences of this decision for prejudice against obese individu
Inspirational or Self-Deflating
This research examines the role of self-efficacy in women’s responses to elite leadership role models. Previous research on role models has been equivocal, demonstrating that the impact of social comparisons on the self is multifaceted. Using an experimental methodology, 102 female participants were presented with role models (elite, nonelite, control) before serving as the leader of an ostensible three-person group. Findings revealed that women …
Female Leaders
The impact of female role models on women’s leadership aspirations and self-perceptions after a leadership task were assessed across two laboratory studies. These studies tested the prediction that upward social comparisons to high-level female leaders will have a relatively detrimental impact on women’s self-perceptions and leadership aspirations compared to male and less elite female leaders. In Study 1 ( N = 60), women were presented with both…
The self-protective and undermining effects of attributional ambiguity
Gender bias in employment contexts
How Social‐Class Background Influences Perceptions of Political Leaders
In this research, we contribute to a nascent literature examining how cues to social class can guide voters' political judgments. Drawing upon and merging a voting‐cues framework with the stereotype‐content model, we test predictions that, relative to those from high‐class backgrounds, candidates from lower‐ and working‐class backgrounds will be perceived to be more ideologically liberal, warmer, and will be evaluated more positively. We test the…
Exploring the effect of media images on women’s leadership self-perceptions and aspirations
Across two experimental studies, the present research explores how media images depicting counterstereotypical roles for women, compared to those that depict stereotypical roles for women, affect women’s gender role beliefs (Study 1) and responses to a leadership situation (Study 2). Study 1 predicted and found that women exposed to images depicting counterstereotypical roles subsequently reported stronger nontraditional gender role beliefs than …
Leadership Efficacy and Women Leaders' Responses to Stereotype Activation
The role of leadership efficacy in women's reactance responses to stereotype-based leadership role expectations was examined in two laboratory studies. Participants, selected on the basis of leadership efficacy scores, served as leaders of ostensible three-person groups. Half were primed with the gender leadership stereotype. An immersive virtual environment designed for this research served as the leadership setting. Results indicated that the e…
Believing in the American Dream Sustains Negative Attitudes toward Those in Poverty
A critical lever in the fight against poverty is to improve attitudes toward those living in poverty. Attempting to understand the factors that impact these attitudes, we ask: Does believing that meritocracy exists (descriptive meritocracy) sustain negative attitudes? Using cross-sectional (N = 301) and experimental (N = 439) methods, we found that belief in the United States as a meritocracy is associated with blaming people living in poverty an…
Sociocultural and individual manifestations of sexual stigma
Understanding the complex manifestations of sexual stigma is crucial in helping to prevent discrimination toward sexual minorities. In this research, we examined the role of heterosexism within political ideology systems and the process through which these systems promote discrimination by focusing on sexual prejudice. Across four studies, we tested the predictions that more conservative political ideologies and greater levels of sexual prejudice…
Empowering Mimicry
In two studies we investigated the behavioral process through which visible female leader role models empower women in leadership tasks. We proposed that women tend to mimic the powerful (open) body postures of successful female role models, thus leading to more empowered behavior and better performance on a challenging leadership task, a process we called empowering mimicry . In Study 1, we experimentally manipulated the body posture of the male…
The Role of Leadership Efficacy and Stereotype Activation in Women's Identification with Leadership
The primary goal of this research was to examine the role of leadership efficacy as a moderator of domain identification responses to the think-leader-think-male stereotype. Manipulating stereotype activation, results from eighty-five female participants indicated that women with high levels of leadership efficacy demonstrated a heightened identification with the leadership domain after exposure to negative stereotypes compared to the control con…
Wealth inequality and activism
What motivates people to engage in activism against wealth inequality? The simple answer is perceiving injustice. However, the current work demonstrates that these perceptions depend on political ideologies. More specifically, for political liberals who frequently question the fairness of the economic system, messages simply describing the extent of the inequality (distributive injustice) are enough to motivate activism (Study 1). For political c…
An online growth mindset intervention in a sample of rural adolescent girls
BackgroundStudents living in rural areas of the United States exhibit lower levels of educational attainment than their suburban counterparts. Innovative interventions are needed to close this educational achievement gap.AimsWe investigated whether an online growth mindset intervention could be leveraged to promote academic outcomes.SampleWe tested the mindset intervention in a sample of 222 10th-grade adolescent girls (M age = 15.2; 38% White, 2…
Leadership and the more-important-than-average effect
This research investigates the empirical assumptions behind the claim that leaders exaggerate the importance of their group’s goals more so than non-leaders and that they may use these beliefs to justify deviating from generally accepted moral requirements when doing so is necessary for goal achievement. We tested these biased thought processes across three studies. The results from these three studies established the more-important-than-average …
Target Article
Historically, at least 3 methodological problems have dogged experimental social psychology: the experimental control-mundane realism trade-off, lack of replication, and unrepresentative sampling. We argue that immersive virtual environment technology (IVET) can help ameliorate, if not solve, these methodological problems and, thus, holds promise as a new social psychological research tool. In this article, we first present an overview of IVET an…
The Role of Leadership Efficacy and Stereotype Activation in Women's Identification with Leadership
The primary goal of this research was to examine the role of leadership efficacy as a moderator of domain identification responses to the think-leader-think-male stereotype. Manipulating stereotype activation, results from eighty-five female participants indicated that women with high levels of leadership efficacy demonstrated a heightened identification with the leadership domain after exposure to negative stereotypes compared to the control con…
The self-protective and undermining effects of attributional ambiguity
Leadership Efficacy and Women Leaders' Responses to Stereotype Activation
The role of leadership efficacy in women's reactance responses to stereotype-based leadership role expectations was examined in two laboratory studies. Participants, selected on the basis of leadership efficacy scores, served as leaders of ostensible three-person groups. Half were primed with the gender leadership stereotype. An immersive virtual environment designed for this research served as the leadership setting. Results indicated that the e…
Leadership and the more-important-than-average effect
This research investigates the empirical assumptions behind the claim that leaders exaggerate the importance of their group’s goals more so than non-leaders and that they may use these beliefs to justify deviating from generally accepted moral requirements when doing so is necessary for goal achievement. We tested these biased thought processes across three studies. The results from these three studies established the more-important-than-average …
For the Greater Good of All
This volume draws on disciplines as different as Psychology, Anthropology, History and Biology to explain when and why individuals act to promote their own self-interest and when they sacrifice their
Female Leaders
The impact of female role models on women’s leadership aspirations and self-perceptions after a leadership task were assessed across two laboratory studies. These studies tested the prediction that upward social comparisons to high-level female leaders will have a relatively detrimental impact on women’s self-perceptions and leadership aspirations compared to male and less elite female leaders. In Study 1 ( N = 60), women were presented with both…
Gender bias in employment contexts
Exploring the effect of media images on women’s leadership self-perceptions and aspirations
Across two experimental studies, the present research explores how media images depicting counterstereotypical roles for women, compared to those that depict stereotypical roles for women, affect women’s gender role beliefs (Study 1) and responses to a leadership situation (Study 2). Study 1 predicted and found that women exposed to images depicting counterstereotypical roles subsequently reported stronger nontraditional gender role beliefs than …
Inspirational or Self-Deflating
This research examines the role of self-efficacy in women’s responses to elite leadership role models. Previous research on role models has been equivocal, demonstrating that the impact of social comparisons on the self is multifaceted. Using an experimental methodology, 102 female participants were presented with role models (elite, nonelite, control) before serving as the leader of an ostensible three-person group. Findings revealed that women …
Managing to clear the air
The obesity stigma asymmetry model
The American Medical Association hoped that labeling obesity a disease would not only highlight the seriousness of the epidemic and elicit resources but also reduce stigma against obese individuals. In the current work, we tested the consequences of this decision for prejudice against obese individu
Sociocultural and individual manifestations of sexual stigma
Understanding the complex manifestations of sexual stigma is crucial in helping to prevent discrimination toward sexual minorities. In this research, we examined the role of heterosexism within political ideology systems and the process through which these systems promote discrimination by focusing on sexual prejudice. Across four studies, we tested the predictions that more conservative political ideologies and greater levels of sexual prejudice…
Empowering Mimicry
In two studies we investigated the behavioral process through which visible female leader role models empower women in leadership tasks. We proposed that women tend to mimic the powerful (open) body postures of successful female role models, thus leading to more empowered behavior and better performance on a challenging leadership task, a process we called empowering mimicry . In Study 1, we experimentally manipulated the body posture of the male…
Wealth inequality and activism
What motivates people to engage in activism against wealth inequality? The simple answer is perceiving injustice. However, the current work demonstrates that these perceptions depend on political ideologies. More specifically, for political liberals who frequently question the fairness of the economic system, messages simply describing the extent of the inequality (distributive injustice) are enough to motivate activism (Study 1). For political c…
An online growth mindset intervention in a sample of rural adolescent girls
BackgroundStudents living in rural areas of the United States exhibit lower levels of educational attainment than their suburban counterparts. Innovative interventions are needed to close this educational achievement gap.AimsWe investigated whether an online growth mindset intervention could be leveraged to promote academic outcomes.SampleWe tested the mindset intervention in a sample of 222 10th-grade adolescent girls (M age = 15.2; 38% White, 2…
Growth Mindset Messaging in Stigma-Relevant Contexts
Growth mindsets are increasingly used to promote learning, development, and health. The increased popularity resulted in scrutiny and disputes about utility. The current work reviews a perspective critical to the debate. Namely, we focus on emerging research that examines both the favorable and potentially adverse consequences of growth mindset messaging in stigma-relevant contexts. This double-edged sword model merges the mindset perspective wit…
A Growth Mind-Set Intervention Improves Interest but Not Academic Performance in the Field of Computer Science
We investigated whether a growth mindset intervention could be leveraged to promote performance and interest in computer science, through what mechanisms it might do so, and whether effects were stronger for women than for men. In particular, we explored whether the growth mindset intervention improved academic performance and career interest by increasing intrinsic value. We developed and tested a scalable, online, 4-session growth mindset inter…
Lay Theories of Heroism and Leadership
Whereas leadership is generally perceived as a masculine enterprise, heroism research suggests that people view heroes as similarly masculine, but having more feminine traits. We predicted that heroes will be evaluated higher than leaders in communion but not differ in agency. In Study 1, heroes were perceived to have higher communion and similarly high agency as leaders. In Studies 2 and 3, we replicated these trait ratings focusing on perceptio…
Believing in the American Dream Sustains Negative Attitudes toward Those in Poverty
A critical lever in the fight against poverty is to improve attitudes toward those living in poverty. Attempting to understand the factors that impact these attitudes, we ask: Does believing that meritocracy exists (descriptive meritocracy) sustain negative attitudes? Using cross-sectional (N = 301) and experimental (N = 439) methods, we found that belief in the United States as a meritocracy is associated with blaming people living in poverty an…
How Social‐Class Background Influences Perceptions of Political Leaders
In this research, we contribute to a nascent literature examining how cues to social class can guide voters' political judgments. Drawing upon and merging a voting‐cues framework with the stereotype‐content model, we test predictions that, relative to those from high‐class backgrounds, candidates from lower‐ and working‐class backgrounds will be perceived to be more ideologically liberal, warmer, and will be evaluated more positively. We test the…
Well‐being in the time of Covid ‐19
Communications about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) often employ metaphors, which can help people understand complex issues. For example, public health messages may focus on “fighting” the disease, attempting to rouse people to action by instilling a sense of urgency. In contrast, change‐focused metaphors may foster growth mindsets and self‐efficacy—cornerstones of well‐being and action. We randomly assigned participants to read one of t…
Mindsets of poverty
Belief systems impact poverty reduction efforts, as they can enhance, or diminish, support for redistributive economic policies. We examined the predictive utility of mindsets about the changeability (growth mindsets) or the stability (fixed mindsets) of the nature of poverty in society. We conducted six studies, two pre‐registered, using both cross‐sectional ( N = 763) and experimental methods ( N = 1361). Growth mindsets of poverty in society p…
Stereotypic beliefs contribute to gender disparities in the field of economics
Why are women under-represented in the field of economics relative to men? We propose that stereotypes associated with economists contribute to women’s interest in the field. We test the predictions that economists are stereotypically associated with low levels of communion and high levels of agency and that this type of stereotype content is associated with women’s lower interest in the field. In Study 1 (N = 883), stereotypes associated with pe…
Mindsets of mental illness
Psychology (32 works) · Social Psychology (26 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (20 works) · Social Psychology (17 works) · Political science (13 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Gender Diversity and Inequality (10 works) · Politics (9 works) · Developmental psychology (8 works) · Perception (7 works)