Universität zu Köln

Grundmann, Susanna ORCID: 0000-0002-1674-7016, Rockenbach, Bettina ORCID: 0000-0003-2624-1964 and Werner, Katharina ORCID: 0000-0002-7096-5890 (2025). First Names and Ascribed Characteristics. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 234. Elsevier. ISSN 0167-2681

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Abstract

[Artikel-Nr.: 107005] Experimental studies on (implicit) gender biases often deal with the problem of subtly revealing gender, yet without making the study's focus too salient. One prominent solution is to indicate gender through first names. While easy to apply, this method may be prone to confounds: first names may carry various perceptions beyond gender, such as age, socio-economic status, or other traits. We examine the relevance of potential confounds in a comprehensive survey experiment with 4,000 participants of a wide age range (between 18 and 65 years), each rating one of 20 common and timeless first names (10 male and 10 female) on 7 demographic, 9 labor-market relevant and 13 further personal characteristics. We demonstrate that first names actually evoke perceptions beyond gender and show that certain names are consistently and significantly perceived as more prosocial, assertive, or positive / negative than other common and timeless first names of the same gender. Our results send a clear message to experimental studies using first names to convey gender, namely to take into account the perceptions the selected names evoke beyond gender in order to avoid being misled by confounding perceptions. Our data set can serve as a valuable resource for future experimental studies, allowing researchers to choose names that evoke – among a wide age range of participants – similar or diverse associations across different characteristics.

Item Type:	Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Grundmann, Susanna UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1674-7016 UNSPECIFIED Rockenbach, Bettina UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2624-1964 UNSPECIFIED Werner, Katharina UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7096-5890 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-803298
Identification Number:	10.1016/j.jebo.2025.107005
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
Volume:	234
Number of Pages:	36
Date:	June 2025
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0167-2681
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Management, Economy and Social Sciences
Divisions:	Weitere Institute, Arbeits- und Forschungsgruppen > Staatswissenschaftliches Seminar
Subjects:	Social sciences Economics
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Experimental methodology ; first names ; gender differences ; stereotypes English
['eprint_fieldname_oa_funders' not defined]:	Publikationsfonds UzK
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/80329