The current study explores non-expert definitions of stereotypes to better understand whether these present a consistent view of stereotypes. Nine meta-themes emerged from the thematic analysis conducted: accuracy, behavior, cognition, content, function, rationalization, stereotyper, target, and valence. A natural split in the relative frequency with which these meta-themes were coded demonstrates consistency in participants' view of stereotypes as cognitive, neutral, and functional. Definitions are similar to scholarly definitions and are informative about why stereotypes are maintained despite a societal prescription to avoid them. Results suggest that views about accuracy may play a role in this process. Participants who view stereotypes as accurate, appropriate, and valuable ways to understand target groups may use stereotypes despite the prescription of avoidance and may, thus, maintain stereotypes.

Citation: KURYLO, A. and ROBLES, J.S., 2015 communicated. The second approach tests the scheme by applying it, through discourse analysis, to actual instances of stereotypes communicated in recordings of naturally-occurring conversation. In doing so, we examine how stereotypes are maintained despite social movements such as political correctness, public intolerance of racism, and celebrations in all sectors (from education to international relations) of diversity and of the value of intercultural communication (Rees, 1993;Thibodaux, 1994;Williams, 1995). Thus, the research presented here has important implications for why barriers to intercultural understanding and communication continue to exist.This project contributes to research in quantitative, qualitative, and discourse approaches to intercultural communication; investigates specific ways in which stereotypes are formulated and

Many studies investigated cultural differences in values, most notably by Hofstede and Schwarz. Relatively few have focused on virtues, a related and important concept in contemporary social science. The present paper examines the similarities and differences between nations, or blocks of - culturally related - nations on the perceived importance of virtues. Adults (N = 2.809 students) from 14 countries were asked to freely mention which virtues they found important to practice in daily life, and next to rate a list of 15 virtues, which reflect the most frequently mentioned categories in The Netherlands, as found in a previous study. The 14 nations included the United States, Mexico, nine European and three Asian nations. For the free-listed virtues, we compared the top-ten lists of most frequently mentioned virtues across the nations. We used a correspondence analysis on the frequency table to assess the relationships between the virtues and nations. For the 15 virtues ratings, a MANOVA, and follow-up ANOVA’s were used to examine effects of nation, age, gender and religion. We found strong evidence for relationships between nations and blocks of culturally related nations and the importance attached to various virtues. There appear to be some country specific virtues, such as generosity in France, but also some relatively universal virtues, most notably honesty, respect, and kindness.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-223) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This article examines a productive use of communicating gender stereotypes in interpersonal conversation: to resist activities traditionally prescribed according to gender. The analyses video-taped naturally occurring US household interactions and present three techniques participants may deploy to contest gender expectations: mobilizing categories, motivating alignment and reframing action. We show how gender is an accountable category in relation to household labor, and how gender categories provide a resource by which participants can non-seriously solicit and resist participation in domestic gender-prescribed activities. Our analysis provides some insight into how participants use gender stereotypes in everyday talk and what functions such talk serves.

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