The dynamic time course of stereotype activation: activation, dissipation, and resurrection

Stereotypes activated upon initial exposure to a stereotyped individual may dissipate as the exposure continues. Participants observing a videotaped interview with a Black person showed activation of the stereotype of Black people following 15 s of observation but not following 12 min of observation. However, the discovery of a disagreement with the stereotyped individual may bring the dissipated stereotype back to mind. Participants who discovered, at the end of a 12-min videotaped interview with a Black person, that this person disagreed with them about the verdict in a court case showed activation of the stereotype of Black people, whereas participants who discovered instead that the Black person agreed with them did not. Participants who disagreed with a Black person also applied the Black stereotype to him, but this stereotype application was detected only on an implicit measure of application, not on an explicit measure.