High - definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) alleviates occupational gender stereotypes

• Published in: Neuropsychologia 2023-12, Vol.191, p.108706, Article 108706
• Main Authors: Yuan, Hong, Li, Yongqi, Lu, Kaitian, Wen, Hui, Wang, Li, Pang, Yazhi, Liu, Yong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0028-3932; 1873-3514; 1873-3514
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108706

Occupational gender stereotypes are widely held misconceptions that individuals use to classify occupations according to gender. Alleviating occupational gender stereotypes would be beneficial for individuals to choose occupations more freely, without the influence of gender-based expectations. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown effectiveness in alleviating stereotypical beliefs. The present study aims to explore the positive effects of tDCS targeting the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) on occupational gender stereotypes and uses event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural correlates of tDCS in modulating occupational gender stereotypes. Participants (N = 60) were recruited and randomly assigned to either the anodal tDCS group (n = 30) or the sham tDCS group (n = 30). All participants were asked to complete the Implicit Association Test (IAT) in the pre- and post-stimulation, while EEG data were recorded simultaneously. The behavioral results showed a decreased D value and reaction time (RT) after the tDCS in the anodal group. However, no significant difference in ERPs were observed after tDCS between the two groups. This study contributes to our understanding of occupational gender stereotypes and provides further evidence supporting the use of tDCS. The findings highlight the importance of considering the mPFC in research on occupational gender stereotypes and pave the way for future investigations utilizing brain stimulation techniques to address stereotypes.