Effects of individuating information on implicit person perception are largely consistent across individual differences and two types of target groups

Abstract

Previous research has investigated characteristics of individuating information, stereotypes, and evaluative circumstances that moderate reliance on social category information and individuating information in implicit person perception. However, possibly no research has examined characteristics of perceivers that may be involved in these processes. In four studies (N = 1545), the present research tested the effects of six individual differences on application of race and gender stereotypes in implicit perceptions of individuals and the potential moderating effects of diagnosticity of individuating information. We found that individuating information affected implicit person similarly regardless of the diagnosticity of the individuating information, the target group, and—largely—individual differences. Although these findings involved several null results, these results are nonetheless informative because they provide evidence that individuating information is a promising means of bias reduction given its consistent effects.

Keywords

• Individual differences
• Implicit
• Individuation
• Stereotype