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Psychological essentialism and attention allocation: preferences for stereotype-consistent versus
1Department of Psychology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. bbastian@unimelb.edu.au
The Journal of Social Psychology
|January 30, 2008
Summary
People believing human traits are fixed (entity theorists) prefer stereotype-consistent information. This study finds these beliefs are part of broader essentialist views, which also drive stereotype preference.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Entity theorists, who believe human attributes are immutable, show a preference for stereotype-consistent information.
- This preference is linked to implicit theories of personality, specifically entity theories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between entity theories and broader essentialist beliefs.
- To determine if essentialist beliefs explain the preference for stereotype-consistent information beyond entity theories.
Main Methods:
- Researchers measured participants' essentialist beliefs, including views on the biological basis, discreteness, informativeness, and inherence of human attributes.
- Entity theories were assessed to understand their role in these beliefs.
- Preference for stereotype-consistent versus stereotype-inconsistent information was evaluated.
Main Results:
- Measures of essentialist beliefs positively correlated with the presence of entity theories.
- Essentialist beliefs, as a collective, were associated with a stronger preference for stereotype-consistent information.
- This effect of essentialist beliefs on stereotype preference was independent of the influence of entity theories alone.
Conclusions:
- Entity theories can be understood as components of wider psychological essentialism.
- Essentialist beliefs provide a more comprehensive framework for understanding preferences for stereotype-consistent information.
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