When Social Context Matters: The Influence of Long–Term Contact and Short–Term Exposure to Admired Outgroup Members on Implicit Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions

Abstract

Past research has shown specific situational interventions can reduce implicit prejudice against outgroups, but nothing is known about who is most sensitive to these situations and whether they influence behavior. The present study examined the combined influence of short-term situational exposure to admired outgroup members (gays and lesbians) and individual differences in prior long-term contact on implicit antigay attitudes and discriminatory behavioral intentions (voting). Results showed that in the absence of any intervention, participants with little contact with gays and lesbians showed more implicit antigay attitudes and discriminatory voting intentions than participants with high contact. However, after the short-term intervention, participants, regardless of prior contact, showed low levels of implicit prejudice and discriminatory voting intentions. The observed reduction of bias in implicit attitudes and behavioral intentions occurred independently; attitude change did not mediate behavioral change. We suggest that different underlying mechanisms drive changes in implicit attitudes versus explicit behavioral intentions.

The Roles of In-Group Exemplars and Ethnicracial Identification in Self-Stereotyping

“…This is partly the case because there may be fewer opportunities to experience counter-stereotypical (non-prototypical) in-group members via primary exposure during interpersonal and intragroup interactions or secondary exposure through media outlets (cf. Dasgupta & Greenwald, 2001;Dasgupta & Rivera, 2008). We extend past research on out-group exemplars and subsequent out-group judgments (e.g., Dasgupta & Rivera, 2008) to examine the effect of exposure to in-group exemplars on in-group members' stigma-based social cognitive processes.…”

“…Dasgupta & Greenwald, 2001;Dasgupta & Rivera, 2008). We extend past research on out-group exemplars and subsequent out-group judgments (e.g., Dasgupta & Rivera, 2008) to examine the effect of exposure to in-group exemplars on in-group members' stigma-based social cognitive processes.…”

“…Finally, we examined if African-American participants' subjective ethnic-racial identification moderates the effect of exposure to in-group exemplars on self-stereotyping (Main Experiment). Consistent with our and others' prior research (Dasgupta & Greenwald, 2001;Dasgupta & Rivera, 2008), we manipulated exposure to in-group exemplars by providing African Americans with information about in-group members' outstanding successes in various domains and their important contributions to society in the United States. Then, all participants indicated the extent to which they associated their self-concept with African-American stereotypes (i.e., self-stereotype).…”

“…This appears to be particularly the case when perceivers are making categorizations of strongly stigmatized out-groups because the mental representations of such groups include stereotypes that are maintained through interpersonal and intergroup experiences and the media (Lyons & Kashima, 2003;Ross & Lester, 2011). When perceivers, however, are placed in contexts in which they are exposed to exemplars of stereotyped groups, it shifts group perceptions and judgments away from those that are prototype consistent (Brauer & Er-Rafiy, 2011;Dasgupta & Greenwald, 2001;Dasgupta & Rivera, 2008;Hewstone & Hamberger, 2000).…”

“…To develop the Obama single exemplar and control conditions, we used a similar procedure from the first author's past research (Dasgupta & Rivera, 2008; also see Dasgupta & Greenwald, 2001). In the Obama condition, participants were presented with a picture of Obama along with a biography of his early personal and professional life experiences that led to his election as the first African-American president of the United States of America (and subsequent re-election) as well as his successes during his presidency (see Appendix A for biography).…”