Effects of Racial Stereotypes on Judgments of Individuals: The Moderating Role of Perceived Group Variability

We examined the influence of perceived group variability on the use of stereotypes in judging individuals, distinguishing between two forms of perceived variability: stereotypicality and dispersion (Park & Judd, 1990). In Study 1, subjects judged the variability of members of sororities and fraternities and then provided trait and confidence judgments of hypothetical group members. In Study 2, 2 months after judging the variability of Asian Americans, subjects judged the mathematical ability of an Asian American individual and indicated how confident they were. In Study 3, 3 months after judging the variability of Blacks and Whites, subjects judged ambiguously aggressive behaviors performed by individual Black and White children (Sagar & Schofield, 1980). In all three studies, stereotypicality positively influenced trait judgments. Thus, subjects who perceived the group more stereotypically judged specific individuals in a more stereotypic manner. Dispersion negatively influenced confidence judgments such that subjects who perceived high dispersion among group members were less confident in their judgments of specific individuals.