EFFECTS OF CATEGORICAL AND INDIVIDUATING INFORMATION ON INTERGROUP PERCEPTION : A DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

I manipulated categorical (race and gender) as well as individuating information (outcome) to study intergroup discrimination. Participants (N = 256) varied in age, race and gender. In addition, I used two different versions of the story (drug trafficking vs. child abuse) to see if the events with high and moderate levels of outcome would affect intergroup discrimination differently. Unlike the past studies, I employed both paper-and-pencil measures (ratings of competence and attraction) and recall of subordinate (additional categorical cues) and superordinate (given categorical cues of race and gender) information. Results indicated that effects of social categorization hold even in the presence of individuating information. However, individuating information does reduce intergroup discrimination more in the paper­and-pencil than in the recall measures. Perhaps such a reduction in discrimination was an artifact of the effect of social desirability inherent in the paper-and-pencil measures. Also, intergroup discrimination was not completely consistent with either the cognitive or motivational explanation. More important, Malay boys and Chinese girls appeared to be more concerned about their social identity than were Malay girls or Chinese boys. I suggest, therefore, that future studies should consider participant variables of age, race, and gender and individuating events, as the independent variables and as dependent variables in intergroup discrimination.