Social norms and the expression of culturally acceptable and unacceptable stereotypes
MetadataShow full item record
AbstractThe present study assessed (a) the normative acceptability of expressing negative and positive perceptions of Canadians and Americans; (b) the relationship between this acceptability and degree of expression of these perceptions; (c) whether Canadian views of Americans can be shifted by exposure to contrasting consensus information; and (d) whether the magnitude of this shift is moderated by four individual difference variables. Perceptions of both groups and individual difference variables were assessed in the first of two experimental sessions. In the second session, shifts in perceptions of Americans were examined following the presentation of fabricated consensus information that indicated others held different beliefs about Americans than originally estimated. Correlational and experimental results indicated that people express a particular view of a particular group based on how much that view is perceived to be normative. The individual difference variables did not moderate shifts in this view. The implications of the role of social norms in the expression of acceptable and unacceptable stereotypes and prejudice are discussed.
Bibliography: p. 60-68