Suchergebnisse

Abstract: Is intercategory fit a prerequisite of social categorization? Intercategory fit is given if more differences are perceived between than within two or more social categories. We created experimental conditions without objective fit, and ruled out subjective perceptions of intercategory fit, such as arise from expectancy-based illusory correlations. In the first experiment, portraits of men and women were presented together with nonsense syllables. Cued by the nonsense syllables, participants were later able to retrieve gender category information, indicating category salience in the presentation phase. The second experiment replicated these results using male and female first names instead of portraits. Inter-category fit thus does not constitute a necessary precondition for categorization. The results bear on the very early stages in the development of stereotypes.

Zusammenfassung: Die evaluative Komponente von Einstellungen ist in vielen sozialpsychologischen Forschungsfeldern von Bedeutung. Um für zukünftige Untersuchungen in diesem Bereich eine normierte Skalierung unterschiedlicher Aspekte der evaluativen Bewertung von Einstellungsobjekten bereitzustellen, wurde 72 Probanden die deutsche Übersetzung einer in der Einstellungsforschung bereits häufig verwendeten und standardisierten Menge von 92 Substantiven zur Beurteilung vorgelegt. Erhoben wurde neben der Wortlänge und der Worthäufigkeit die evaluative Bewertung auf einer bipolaren Skala, getrennte Ratings der Positivität und der Negativität auf unipolaren Skalen, zwei Indizes der Ambivalenz, der Prozentsatz von «positiv»-Antworten bei einer binären evaluativen Entscheidung sowie die mittlere Reaktionszeit bei der evaluativen Entscheidung. Die vollständigen Ergebnisse der Normierung werden in einem Anhang wiedergegeben.

Two studies examined strategic effects on affective priming. Extending prior research by Klauer and Teige-Mocigemba [Klauer, K. C., & Teige-Mocigemba, S. (2007). Controllability and resource dependence in automatic evaluations. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 648–655], the influence of different control strategies on a priming measure of prejudice was assessed. In both studies, a short stimulus onset asynchrony between prime and target (275 ms) was implemented along with considerable time pressure. In Study 1, participants could strategically eliminate priming effects with attitudinal prime categories (Arabs and liked celebrities) represented by several exemplars per category while priming effects for control categories remained intact. In Study 2, two strategies (payoff and faking) were induced to motivate participants to respond particularly fast and accurately to incongruent targets. Both strategies were successful in counteracting the usual priming effects, while leaving priming effects for non-targeted primes intact. We consider the role of so-called implementation intentions in accounting for the present findings.

The present study investigates individual differences in the automatic use of haptic information from interpersonal touch. We present a questionnaire assessing individual differences in the need for interpersonal touch (NFIPT), which was validated within an unrelated product-evaluation task. Before entering the laboratory, participants were briefly touched on the shoulder or received no touch. Assessing confidence and frustration within the following product-evaluation task, we examined moderating effects of NFIPT and additionally effects of need for touch (NFT). Results showed that higher NFIPT participants were more confident when they were briefly touched. Effects on frustration were only found for NFT. Results show that frustration was greater for individuals with higher NFT, when they could not touch the product during the evaluation task.

Two studies investigated boundary conditions of an effect of social presence on the Stroop task and its interpretation in terms of an attentional view (P. Huguet, M. P. Galvaing, J. M. Monteil, & F. Dumas, 1999). In this view, social presence leads to attentional focusing, enhancing participants' ability to screen out the distracting features of Stroop stimuli. As predicted, Stroop interference was found to be reduced by social presence, but an alternative account in which social presence exerts an effect on task selection received more support.

Zusammenfassung: Zahlreiche Paradigmen in verschiedenen Bereichen der kognitiven Sozialpsychologie erfordern Beschreibungen von Verhaltensweisen als Stimulusmaterial. Unseres Wissens liegt im deutschsprachigen Raum keine Normierung vor, auf die bei der Materialerstellung für entsprechende Untersuchungen zurückgegriffen werden könnte. Es wurden 165 positive und 165 parallel formulierte negative Verhaltensbeschreibungen generiert und zwei für psychologische Experimente typischen Stichproben von jeweils 60 männlichen und 60 weiblichen Studierenden in Form eines Fragebogens vorgelegt. Die Items wurden hinsichtlich ihrer Valenz und Geschlechtstypikalität auf einer 7-stufigen Skala eingeschätzt. Die zweite Stichprobe bearbeitete zusätzlich eine deutsche Fassung des Bem Sex Role Inventory ( Schneider-Düker & Kohler, 1988 ), um Einflüsse der Geschlechtsrollenidentität auf die Geschlechtstypikalitätsurteile abzuklären. Die Verhaltensbeschreibungen decken einen weiten Bereich unterschiedlicher Valenz und Geschlechtstypikalität ab. Die Urteilerübereinstimmung fällt auf beiden Dimensionen zufriedenstellend hoch aus. Es können Itemsets mit unterschiedlichen Eigenschaften zusammengestellt werden, so daß das normierte Material vielseitig verwendbar ist.

Placing outgroup members in positive social contexts can reduce implicit bias. Different contexts may activate different associations of the group. Alternatively, contexts may act as cues for inhibiting bias. We applied the Quad model (Sherman et al., 2008) to address these possibilities. We also examined how motivation moderates these effects. Participants completed a Black—White evaluative priming task with primes presented in positive versus negative contexts and a measure of motivation to control prejudice. Results showed less implicit bias in positive versus negative contexts and that this effect was stronger among highly motivated participants. Modeling revealed that these effects were related to inhibition of biased associations, but not to changing the associations that were activated. Implications for prejudice reduction are discussed.

A German version of the Need for Touch scale (NFT) was developed and validated in two experiments. Study 1 examined moderator effects of NFT on the influence of product experience on confidence and frustration in product evaluations. As expected, only for high-NFT individuals, confidence increased and frustration decreased when haptic information was available. In Study 2, we explored the influence of NFT in a gambling task. Results showed that individuals with higher NFT more often chose gambling alternatives accompanied by a positive feeling of touch, while individuals with lower NFT did not integrate haptic information. Additionally, results confirmed the theoretically postulated two-dimensional structure of NFT, as well as its discriminant validity.

This research examines the mechanisms underlying group-based differences in implicit attitudes and malleability of implicit attitudes resulting from exposure to exemplars. We tested whether these effects are due to differences in activated associations or to the regulation of those associations. In Study 1, Black participants exhibited less pro-White bias and activation of pro-White and anti-Black associations compared with White participants. In Study 2, exposure to positive Black and negative White exemplars produced lower pro-White bias and less activation of biased associations. These findings indicate that group-based differences in implicit attitudes and exemplar exposure effects reflect variability in and malleability of automatic associations. Implications for understanding the role of contact on intergroup attitudes are discussed.