What's in a Name? A Methodological Study of Forename Perceptions
Morsch, Jonah
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/133165
Description
Title
What's in a Name? A Methodological Study of Forename Perceptions
Author(s)
Morsch, Jonah
Contributor(s)
Kroke, Abigail
Finkelstein, Eliya
Issue Date
2026
Keyword(s)
vignette study, gender
Date of Ingest
2026-05-01T11:11:09-05:00
Abstract
Researchers conducting vignette studies with the goal of manipulating gender/sex will often pick name pairs either randomly or as pairs that sound similar, such as Alexander vs Alexandria. However, this method of choosing names is problematic, as these names may not be perceived similarly, leading to confounds in the study aside from the variable of interest itself. In this study, participants received a list of names, taken from the SSA database from the years 2023, 2003, and 1977. They were asked to rate the names on attractiveness, intellectual competence, age, and race. This study provides a list of name pairs matched on these four parameters, as well as observations about patterns of perceptions in our participants. The results of this study serve as a resource for future research using vignettes with gender/sex as a variable of interest.
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