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Published on: September 28, 2018
RETRACTED: Coping with chaos: how disordered contexts promote stereotyping and discrimination
Diederik A Stapel1, Siegwart Lindenberg
1Tilburg Institute for Behavioral Economics Research, Tilburg University, Post Office Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, Netherlands. d.a.stapel@uvt.nl
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|April 9, 2011
Summary
Environmental disorder, like street litter, increases stereotyping and discrimination. A heightened need for structure mediates this effect, impacting real-world interactions and quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Social psychology
- Environmental psychology
- Urban studies
Background:
- Discrimination has severe negative impacts on health and quality of life.
- The influence of the physical environment on social behaviors like discrimination is under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether environmental disorder influences stereotyping and discrimination.
- To identify the psychological mechanisms, specifically the need for structure, that mediate these effects.
Main Methods:
- Two field experiments were conducted to observe behavior in real-world disordered contexts.
- Three laboratory experiments were used to examine the mediating role of the need for structure.
- Participant numbers ranged from 40 to 70 per experiment.
Main Results:
- Disordered environmental contexts, such as litter and neglected public spaces, were shown to promote stereotyping and discrimination.
- A heightened need for structure was identified as the mediating factor for these effects.
Conclusions:
- The physical environment significantly impacts social cognition and behavior, including stereotyping and discrimination.
- Early diagnosis and intervention for environmental disorder are crucial for mitigating negative social consequences.
- Findings have implications for urban planning and public policy aimed at reducing discrimination.
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