Justifying desired impressions of evaluators, motivated activation, application, and inhibition of stereotypes

Abstract

Motivation may lead to the activation and application of stereotypes that help justify a desired conclusion and may provoke the inhibition of stereotypes which, if activated, could interfere with drawing a desired conclusion. In Study 1, participants who had been criticized by a Black manager engaged in motivated application of the activated Black stereotype to discredit this evaluator, whereas those who had been praised by a Black manager engaged in motivated inhibition of that stereotype so as to avoid discrediting the evaluator. Thus, participants viewed a Black evaluator as less competent than a White evaluator after receiving a negative evaluation from him but not after receiving a positive evaluation. The selective application and inhibition of the stereotype was due to self protective motives of recipients; no such effects were obtained for detached observers whose own motives could not have been satisfied through such processes. Motivation may also lead perceivers to pick and choose among the many stereotypes applicable to an individual, activating those that support their desired impression of that individual and inhibiting those that might conflict with it. In Study 2, participants who wished to think poorly of a Black doctor, because he had criticized them, activated the Black stereotype and inhibited the doctor stereotype. In contrast, those who wished to think highly of this Black doctor, because he had praised them, activated the doctor stereotype and inhibited the Black stereotype. Motivation, however, will only lead to the inhibition of those stereotypes that would have otherwise been activated spontaneously and would have interfered with one's desired conclusion. In Study 3, high-prejudice recipients of praise from a Black doctor engaged in motivated inhibition of the Black stereotype, whereas low prejudice recipients of the same praise did not. Both high- and low-prejudice recipients, however, engaged in motivated activation of the doctor stereotype.