A study on social cognition suggests that when researchers measure implicit or difficult-to-control responses, individuals' stereotypical beliefs about social groups become unidimensional positive-negative judgments; the findings suggest the primacy of implicit attitudes, or automatic positive-negative judgments, showing that such attitudes supersede specific group traits or stereotypes.
Article #18-20240: "The relationship between implicit intergroup attitudes and beliefs," by Benedek Kurdi, Thomas C. Mann, Tessa E. S. Charlesworth, and Mahzarin R. Banaji.
MEDIA CONTACT: Benedek Kurdi, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; email: kurdi@g.harvard.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences