Attentional processes in stereotype formation: A common model for category accentuation and illusory correlation.

Abstract

Stereotype formation may be based on the exaggeration of real group differences (category accentuation) or the misperception of group differences that do not exist (illusory correlation). This research sought to account for both phenomena with J. K. Kruschke's (1996Kruschke's ( , 2001Kruschke's ( , 2003 attention theory of category learning. According to the model, the features of majority groups are learned earlier than the features of minority groups. In turn, the features that become associated with a minority are those that most distinguish it from the majority. This second process is driven by an attention-shifting mechanism that directs attention toward group-attribute pairings that facilitate differentiation of the two groups and may lead to the formation of stronger minority stereotypes. Five experiments supported this model as a common account for category accentuation and distinctiveness-based illusory correlation. Implications for the natures of stereotype formation, illusory correlation, and impression formation are discussed.

On the formation of context-based person impressions

“…Another inverse base-rate study also demonstrated an attentional preference for rare associations as measured via ERP correlates of selective attention (Wills, Lavric, Hemmings, & Surrey, 2014). Another study that was very similar to the present ones, but showing the inverse baserate effect in the formation of group impressions (i.e., stereotypes), showed that participants paid more attention to rare rather than common behaviors when learning about minority group members (Sherman et al, 2009). Although these studies support the attentional mechanism, the current research would benefit from additional studies that directly measure attention when perceivers form context-based impressions.…”

“…In the same way that people learn to distinguish unique symptoms of diseases, they may also learn how to distinguish unique characteristics of social groups whose members are encountered with different frequency. Sherman et al (2009) tested these predictions in a series of studies that used the inverse base-rate and illusory correlation (Hamilton & Gifford, 1976) paradigms. Their findings were consistent with attention theory predictions: when participants were asked to categorize individuals who possessed both perfect predictor traits (PC + PR), they were more likely to categorize the individual as a minority group member than as a majority group member.…”

“…Given an estimated effect size of w = .19 (taken from the inverse base-rate effect obtained in Sherman et al, 2009), an observation size of 1024, and an alpha of .05, the power to observe the predicted inverse base-rate effect is N .99. The observation size was determined by multiplying the number of participants (128 after exclusions; see below) by the number of inverse base-rate trials performed by each participant (8 trials).…”

“…Recent research has applied attention theory to understand the formation of group stereotypes (Sherman et al, 2009). In the same way that people learn to distinguish unique symptoms of diseases, they may also learn how to distinguish unique characteristics of social groups whose members are encountered with different frequency.…”

Evidence for an illusion of causality when using the Implicit Association Test to measure learning

“…Therefore, their occasional coincidences are very salient, which boosts learning about the relationship between the minority group and the negative behaviors. More recent accounts differ in the details, but they also address the role of learning processes (e.g., Fiedler, 2000;Sherman, Kruschke, Sherman, Percy, Petrocelli, & Conrey, 2009). …”