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Conceptualizing control in social cognition: how executive functioning modulates the expression of automatic
1Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, USA. payne@unc.edu
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|November 17, 2005
Summary
Executive control influences how automatic racial bias translates into discrimination. Poor executive control amplifies automatic race bias, leading to discriminatory behavior in social judgments and weapon identification tasks.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Dual-process models suggest stereotyping involves automatic and controlled processes.
- Executive control is crucial for regulating automatic responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how executive control moderates the link between automatic stereotype activation and behavior.
- To examine the role of automatic race bias in discrimination.
Main Methods:
- Two studies utilized a process dissociation procedure to measure automatic and controlled components of stereotyping.
- Race bias in weapon identification and impression formation tasks were employed.
Main Results:
- Automatic race bias was more likely to result in discrimination among individuals with lower executive control.
- Controlled processing correlated with attention control and motivation to control prejudice.
Conclusions:
- Executive control plays a significant role in moderating automatic racial bias.
- Findings support dual-process models of stereotyping and highlight the importance of executive functions in prejudice reduction.
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