Author:

Keywords:

Comparisons, Directionality, Gender Stereotypes, Implicit Association Test, Stereotype Change, C14/19/056#55213015

Abstract:

There are diverse ways to express that social groups are similar. One way is to use a directional similarity claim that expresses how a target group resembles a referent group, as in “Men are as emotional as women”. An alternative way is to use a non-directional similarity claim that expresses how two groups resemble each other, without assigning roles, as in “Men and women are equally emotional”. Although these similarities are logically equivalent, earlier research suggests that they are not psychologically equivalent (e.g., Chestnut & Markman, 2016). In our earlier research, participants found directional claims truer than non-directional claims but found claimants of directional claims less likable and more prejudiced than claimants of non-directional claims. This raises the question which role directionality plays in claims aiming to change stereotypes. To answer this question, we asked people to read a brief article expressing that “Men are as emotional as women” (directional) versus “Men and women are equally emotional” (non-directional) and examined changes in their beliefs and implicit associations regarding the emotionality of men and women. In addition, we measured those potential changes on two occasions (two-wave structure) to allow us to assess the stability and durability of potential effects. We discuss if and why directionality may impact changes in beliefs and implicit associations, and how these insights can be applied to successfully change harmful stereotypes.