Stereotypes form, stabilize, and change through communication, not just individual cognition.

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

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the social construction of categories in W.I. Thomas’s theorem and symbolic interactionism.