Date

8-29-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Mattew Ferdock

Keywords

AI, social science, AI Tools, AI and Ethics, AI in higher education

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

This quasi-experimental, cross-sectional, applied, relational study aimed to explore how male graduate students used AI tools differently from female graduate students when conducting social science research. The sample for the study was collected using the Prolific application. The inclusion criteria were that participants had to be adults aged 18 years or older, English-speaking, graduated between 2020 and 2024, social science majors, and had utilized AI tools in their research. The study’s total sample consisted of 210 participants, which were disaggregated into 50% female and 50% male participants. T-test, correlation, and regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between multiple independent variables (e.g., proficiency, usefulness, ease of use) and perceived research effectiveness. Key findings revealed that male students exhibited a higher frequency of AI chatbot usage and perceived them as more valuable and user-friendly than their female counterparts. Conversely, female students had greater apprehensions regarding the dependability and precision of AI chatbot replies. These observations highlight the need to investigate gender-related disparities in AI utilization and develop targeted teaching materials and support systems.

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