tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30314848.post682880057501422830..comments2023-10-19T23:31:13.746-07:00Comments on Field Notes from an Evolutionary Psychologist: What's in a name?Field Noteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372584643389870376noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30314848.post-77177876926982289802007-05-14T10:31:00.000-07:002007-05-14T10:31:00.000-07:00That may very well be the case with the connection...That may very well be the case with the connection between SES and "black names" or "poor white" (southern?) names for that matter. I'm not as familiar with Figlio's other study. <BR/><BR/>This one about girls names was a twin study - so SES is the same for both. The press release doesn't offer a whole lot of information to determine how solid the methods are.<BR/><BR/>I would still be surprised if the effect was more than minimal!Field Noteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18372584643389870376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30314848.post-9257340548844662392007-05-14T10:20:00.000-07:002007-05-14T10:20:00.000-07:00I think Lauren's probably right about the socioeco...I think Lauren's probably right about the socioeconomic thing. I also wonder if the socioeconomic thing has a lot to do with the name choice. Are poor black kids more likely to receive a more stereotypically "black" name? What about poor white kids? <BR/>Maybe more interestingly, what about rich and poor kids from South Asia who live here? Are kids with "poor" names viewed differently here than they would be in India in a way that translates to different outcomes in science and math performance?Alasdairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15289004474066548692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30314848.post-70328249147386282472007-05-13T22:24:00.000-07:002007-05-13T22:24:00.000-07:00"...feminine names like Anna, Elizabeth, and Emily..."...feminine names like Anna, Elizabeth, and Emily are less likely to study math and science after age 16 than their peers with more masculine-sounding names like Alex, Abigail, and Lauren"<BR/><BR/>My name is masculine, and therefore I am supposed to be good at science and math? I was never terribly good at either.<BR/><BR/>As far as that study on "black" names goes, I have a fair number of African_American kids in my honors English classes, all of them have relatively traditional names: Stefanie, Nathan, Sabrina, Brenden, Latrice, Gloria, Katrina, Jackie. In my remedial class I have several kids with the "black" names, and no kids with traitional names, however, all of my honors kids also come from middle-class families, and none of the remedial kids do. I would imagine that the socio-economic background of the kid has a lot more bearing than the name.<BR/><BR/>--Laurenluluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06468418041443316689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30314848.post-66450637193705531562007-05-10T08:27:00.000-07:002007-05-10T08:27:00.000-07:00"...feminine names like Anna, Elizabeth, and Emily..."...feminine names like Anna, Elizabeth, and Emily are less likely to study math and science after age 16 than their peers with more masculine-sounding names like Alex, Abigail, and Lauren"<BR/><BR/>Huh? How are Abigail or Lauren "masculine sounding"??<BR/><BR/>"My personal observations and experience lead me to believe that pretty women have a much harder time in academia (the realm I am familiar with) than women who look less feminine."<BR/><BR/>Keep in mind that there's a pull factor *away* from academia - attractive women can make good money in respectable-ish jobs with their looks. I can make decent money as a policy wonk, but I'm never going to be asked to be a model as Cindy Crawford (who apparently did one term of Chemical Engineering) was.Ms .45https://www.blogger.com/profile/17446640976922450513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30314848.post-83624824920060504652007-05-03T10:21:00.000-07:002007-05-03T10:21:00.000-07:00I think a beauty and women in science would be a g...I think a beauty and women in science would be a great carnival topic too.<BR/><BR/>Also, Amelie, I think you're roght, parents who prefer traditional gender roles are probably less likely to name their daughters something funky like Jack, Ryan, etc.Field Noteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18372584643389870376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30314848.post-24964255065970442672007-05-03T09:55:00.000-07:002007-05-03T09:55:00.000-07:00hm. Most of the girls in my science/engineering de...hm. Most of the girls in my science/engineering degree had rather female names... but again that's a small sample size.<BR/>Parents chose the name, and the gender images they "teach" their children. Though I certainly would not say that parents who pick female rather than neutral names, perhaps there is a correlation on the other side: people who prefer "classical gender roles" (what an euphemism) also prefer more classical girl's names?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30314848.post-30125190139671584912007-05-02T01:12:00.000-07:002007-05-02T01:12:00.000-07:00I have a very feminine name (one of those that don...I have a very feminine name (one of those that don't even have a male version) and I always was pretty butch, but then of course a person is a bit of a small sample.<BR/><BR/>I think you have a point with beauty being an obstacle to a science career. At least it had occurred to me to <A HREF="http://perche-si.blogspot.com/2007/04/under-blanket-of-ugliness.html" REL="nofollow">feel the same</A>. <BR/><BR/>Maybe "beauty and women in science" could be a topic for a scientiae carnival?barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07920729871547017890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30314848.post-49950290284980938972007-05-01T17:33:00.000-07:002007-05-01T17:33:00.000-07:00Hmmm, both my nom de plume and my daughter's actua...Hmmm, both my nom de plume and my daughter's actual name are traditionally male names...but names that occur just as often in females these days...<BR/><BR/>We know how well I did in school...will be interesting to see what happens with Piper!Chasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18025482868122368229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30314848.post-59419557318779263892007-05-01T11:26:00.000-07:002007-05-01T11:26:00.000-07:00This is very interesting. I will also be curious ...This is very interesting. I will also be curious to see the study. In particular, for the sisters, I wonder if the controlled for things like number, gender and ages of other siblings and the like. I also wonder about the size of the twin sample. They do not specify identical twins, where name assignment is not mixed up with different DNA - and I wonder how much name assignment in same-sex fraternal twins may be tied up with perception of initial personality characteristics of an infant. Perhaps a more assertive female infant gets a name that is associated with "masculine" characteristics and is then treated this way. (Though I concede that some parents name baby A and baby B in utero.) Perhaps she is more assertive and therefore better able to resist pressure to conform to gender stereotypes. I do think names influence perception, but I wonder if this is too simple an explanation in this case.<BR/><BR/>My kids both have quite unusual names, but both have been names for centuries, just never popular. We'll see how that plays out.<BR/><BR/>My daughter has been extremely opinionated and assertive from the moment she was born. DNA? Testosterone exposure from her twin brother in utero? (Re: Dabbs - Heroes, Rogues, & Lovers: Testosterone and Behavior) Expectations set from the beginning by screaming loudly? Competition for resources and now toys? I don't know.Twicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03334342522473919913noreply@blogger.com