Understanding the intersection of gender and cognitive ability on interpersonal outcomes: A multistudy investigation

Nitya Chawla; Trevor M Spoelma; Seo-Hyun Kwon; Allison S Gabriel; Aleksander P J Ellis; Wen Wu

doi:10.1037/apl0001391

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Understanding the intersection of gender and cognitive ability on interpersonal outcomes: A multistudy investigation

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Understanding the intersection of gender and cognitive ability on interpersonal outcomes: A multistudy investigation

Nitya Chawla, Trevor M Spoelma, Seo-Hyun Kwon, Allison S Gabriel, Aleksander P J Ellis and Wen Wu

Journal of applied psychology

05/18/2026

DOI: 10.1037/apl0001391

PMID: 42149550

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Abstract

Drawing from social role theory and ideas tied to the implied communality deficit, we develop a theoretical model explicating that higher cognitive ability women-but not men-are potentially more likely to experience interpersonal detriments. Specifically, we theorize that as an agentic competence attribute, higher cognitive ability is viewed as a gender norm violation for women (but not for men), contributing to perceptions of both heightened interpersonal hostility lowered communality by their peers; these perceptions, in turn, are theorized to be associated with greater levels of victimization and lower levels of received task- and person-focused help from teammates. Across two multisource studies comprised of 826 individuals nested within 140 work groups, utilizing objective cognitive ability ratings and a mixture of round robin and self-report data, results demonstrated the detrimental interpersonal ramifications associated with higher cognitive ability for women but not for men. Our results paint an important, and difficult, picture for higher cognitive ability women, highlighting several theoretical issues that warrant further investigation and practical challenges to be addressed by organizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

cognitive ability

gender

victimization

helping

gender stereotypes

Details

Title: Subtitle: Understanding the intersection of gender and cognitive ability on interpersonal outcomes: A multistudy investigation
Creators: Nitya Chawla - University of Minnesota
Trevor M Spoelma - University of Iowa
Seo-Hyun Kwon - University of Minnesota
Allison S Gabriel - Human Resources Research Organization
Aleksander P J Ellis - University of Arizona
Wen Wu - Beijing Jiaotong University
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of applied psychology
DOI: 10.1037/apl0001391
PMID: 42149550
NLM abbreviation: J Appl Psychol
ISSN: 0021-9010
eISSN: 1939-1854
Publisher: American Psychological Association
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 05/18/2026
Academic Unit: Management and Entrepreneurship
Record Identifier: 9985164398202771

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