Cognitive approaches to stereotypes treated the mind as a conscious information processor.

Evidence

Second, we see a growing interest in how people’s communication about the reality of groups and group members is affected by and indeed shapes social representations. The way stereotypes are formed, established, and changed through communication is a fascinating - yet quite neglected - issue that researchers have just started to examine (Kashima, 2000; Ruscher, 2001). — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1187 (#complicates, via linked claim)

The findings from this research are important for our discussion of stereotyping and false consciousness for at least two reasons. First and foremost, they demonstrate that prior exposure to stereotype-related information can influence judgements and actions even when perceivers are unaware of it. For example, Banaji and Greenwald (1994) found that subjects unconsciously misattributed fame to males more often than females. Banaji, Hardin, and Rothman (1993) showed that word primes associated with a female stereotype (dependence) or a male stereotype (aggression) were used implicitly but selectively in judgements of targets whose gender fit the social category of the primed stereotype. Devine (1989) found that subliminal presentations of racial stereotypes of Black Americans later influenced Whites’ judgements of an ambiguously described person. Gilbert and Hixon (1991) identified the limiting conditions of cognitive load under which subjects are more or less likely to use an unconsciously activated racial stereotype on tasks of word-fragment completion. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2933 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Post-1954 cognitive research treated stereotyping as a byproduct of simplifying social information — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2375; Allport reframed stereotypes from group descriptions into cognitive structures actively shaping thought — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 112; Stereotypes form, stabilize, and change through communication, not just individual cognition. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 1187 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Stereotypes form, stabilize, and change through communication, not just individual cognition. #complicates (0.78) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1187
• Stereotypes can be after-the-fact rationalizations justifying pre-existing emotions #complicates (0.76)
• Stereotypes influence judgments even when perceivers are unaware #complicates (0.74) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2933