The stereotype content model (SCM), which defines warmth and competence as fundamental dimensions of social perception, plays a prominent role in contemporary research. Recently, researchers suggested that the SCM scales currently utilised in English contexts might perform less well than previously assumed (Friehs et al., 2021). This was particularly the case when it came to meeting prerequisites for mean-value comparisons, which are the kinds of analyses that SCM scales are mostly submitted to. We build on this research by investigating the scale properties of SCM measures in the German language context. Thus, we investigated the reliability, dimensionality and cross-target group measurement equivalence of German SCM scales in 29 published data sets (N = 10,854) using a preregistered analysis protocol. Confirmatory factor analyses of 507 SCM measurement models showed that the reliability of the used scales was on average good and that they showed adequate dimensionality in 35.10 % of all cases. We additionally assessed (partial) scalar measurement equivalence as a prerequisite for meaningful mean-value comparisons and found evidence for it in 11.44% of all cases. Our findings echo those from the English context and indicate that the currently utilised German scales perform less well than we would have hoped. Moreover, our findings contribute to a debate about how to measure stereotype content, and we call on all researchers to invest in scale development efforts to ensure highly reliable and valid social perception research in Germany and elsewhere.

The stereotype content model (SCM) plays a prominent role in social perception research when comparing the evaluation of different groups on warmth and competence dimensions. We examined the structural validity of SCM measures from publications based on data from English speaking participants. Re-analyzing 78 datasets from 43 published studies using confirmatory factor analyses and measurement invariance assessment, we found that 34.81% of the 586 re-analyzed SCM measurement models showed adequate scale dimensionality, implying a meaningful and valid warmth and competence assessment in one third of all cases. Regarding the scales’ comparability as defined by measurement invariance, we found (partial) scalar invariance as precondition for meaningful mean-value comparisons in 11.43% of all cases. These findings indicate considerable validity concerns in published SCM research. We propose future directions to improve the measurement quality and validity in future SCM research and invite fellow researchers to constructively discuss these ideas.