Differences in Explicit Stereotype Activation among Social Groups Based on the Stereotype Content Model: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Evidence in Chinese Sample

Abstract

The stereotype content model (SCM; Fiske, Cuddy, Glick and Xu, 2002) identifies four basic categories of stereotyped social groups: high warmth-high competence (HW-HC), high warmth-low competence (HW-LC), low warmth-high competence (LW-HC), and low warmth-low competence (LW-LC). However, many of these groups have not been directly examined in stereotype activation research. The purpose of the present research was to extend stereotype activation research to groups that more fully represent those identified under the SCM. Employing explicit sequential priming task, participants responded to prime-target stimulus pairs that were either congruent or incongruent with stereotypes of social groups from all four SCM quadrants in two studies in the current investigation. Study 1 was to determine the behavioral pattern of explicit stereotype activation among four quadrants (the sample included 60 Chinese undergraduate students, 51%—female). Study 2 further employed event-related brain potentials (ERPs) technique to track the time course and electrophysiological underpinnings of explicit stereotype activation (the sample included 22 right-handed Chinese undergraduate students, 76%—female). In Study 1, participants responded more quickly and accurately on stereotype congruent trials than incongruent trials for all social groups except LW-LC groups. This reverse priming effect on LW-LC social groups in RTs was also replicated in Study 2. ERPs findings further showed that incongruent targets elicited larger N400 amplitudes than congruent targets for all four SCM quadrants. Moreover, congruent targets elicited larger P2 than incongruent targets, but only found for the LW-LC social groups. In addition, congruent targets elicited larger amplitudes of late positive component than incongruent targets for the low warmth (LW-LC and LW-HC) groups. Together, these results highlight the unique processing that LW-LC groups receive throughout the cognitive stream, ultimately manifesting in distinctive behavioral responses. Unconscious activation of egalitarian goals, disgust, and distrust accounts are discussed.

Women are expected to smile: Preliminary evidence for the role of gender in the neurophysiological processing of adult emotional faces in 3‐year‐old children

“…More generally, the LPP was found to be larger during stereotype‐violating trials in prime‐target combinations (e.g., “anger” and a fearful facial expression) than stereotype‐confirming trials (Krombholz et al., 2007; Werheid et al., 2005). Other components, such as the P2, N2, P3, and N400, have been found to elicit larger mean amplitudes during stereotype‐violating trials in comparison to stereotypes that were confirmed in social expectancy violation and stereotype research in adults (Dickter & Gyurovski, 2012; Healy et al., 2015; Jerónimo et al., 2017; Proverbio et al., 2018; Yang et al., 2020). In sum, the P1, N170, P2, N2, P3, and N400 have all been found to be larger for stereotype‐violating than stereotype‐confirming stimuli, whereas the LPP has been found to be larger for stereotype‐violating stimuli in some studies and larger for stereotype‐confirming stimuli in other studies.…”

Mothers’ and fathers’ neural responses toward gender-stereotype violations by their own children

“…It is possible that some of the N1 effects observed in previous studies may have been carryover effects from P1 mean amplitude differences. The lack of findings in P2 mean amplitude modulations is not surprising considering the inconsistent findings from previous research ( Jerónimo et al ., 2017 ; Yang et al ., 2020 ; Portengen et al ., 2022 ). Our results thus might indicate that the P2 appears to be a less reliable indication of gender stereotyping in the brain.…”

“…Data collection took place between August 2020 and June 2022. The sample size was a priori determined based on previous electroencephalography (EEG) studies with a similar design that recruited between 25 and 60 participants to detect medium effect sizes ( Endendijk et al ., 2019b ; Yang et al ., 2020 ). Because this study included between-person (father, mother) comparisons in its statistical models, 74 families (148 participants) were recruited for this study.…”

“…The N1 has been found to be larger toward expectancy-violating trials than expectancy-confirming trials ( Dickter and Gyurovski, 2012 ; Portengen et al ., 2022 ). Results regarding the P2 have been less consistent, with studies finding larger, smaller, and no difference in P2 amplitudes toward the violation vs confirmation of social expectations ( Jerónimo et al ., 2017 ; Yang et al ., 2020 ; Portengen et al ., 2022 ).…”

Stereotypes of Social Groups in Mainland China in Terms of Warmth and Competence: Evidence from a Large Undergraduate Sample

“…Alongside the validation study of the SCM in mainland China, we developed a stereotype word list for 24 typical social groups in study 2, which was successfully used in Yang et al to explore the behavioral patterns of stereotype activation among four SCM quadrants [ 94 ] and in their follow-up study using event-related potential technology [ 95 ]. This stereotype word list could be applied in multiple mental processes involved in stereotypes, such as stereotype activation [ 96 , 97 ], stereotype application, and impression formation.…”