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Research

Research

Research

Summary

Stereotypes can have profound implications for how individuals are viewed and the opportunities they have. It is often presumed that the stereotypes people hold are simple, but they are not. The stereotypes people use to understand others are often quite complex. Understanding this nuance therefore has important implications both for creating stronger empirical models of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination processes and for reducing instances of stereotyping and discrimination. The proposed research investigates the nuanced manner in which social perceivers think about and behave towards others using information about age, sex, race, and features of the local circumstances in which people live (e.g., the availability and predictability of economic resources in their communities). This approach suggests novel ways of reducing the application of many of the most pernicious stereotypes to members of minority groups, and thus for reducing discrimination against them.

This research is grounded in life history theory, a conceptual framework from the biological sciences, which highlights the roles that age and sex, in interaction with the local ecology, play in shaping people's goals, capacities, and behavioral strategies. Life history theory can therefore be usefully applied to help explain why people so readily use age, sex, and race to understand others, and why people possess many of the specific stereotypes they do. Hypotheses developed from this framework will be tested in a series of studies, employing multiple methods including national surveys and laboratory experiments. This research expands theory in innovative, transformative ways; provides rigorous empirical tests of novel, theoretically-derived hypotheses, employing a variety of methods; suggests novel interventions for reducing the extent to which stereotypes are applied to individuals; and makes important, integrative connections between the social and biological sciences, strengthening each.

Funding

National Science Foundation, Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Science

Timeline

August 2014 — July 2017