IRREPRESSIBLE STEREOTYPES

Social perceivers typically rely upon both categorical information (st ereotypes) and individuating information when judging another person. While stereotyping is clearly adaptive in many circumstances, the soci al costs associated with stereotypes (prejudice and discrimination) of ten impel us to try to ignore, or at least correct for, our stereotype s. But are there limits to our ability to repress common stereotypes? In the present studies, subjects are asked to judge the likely career goals of gender-typical and -atypical male and female targets. Subject s could not completely disregard the targets' gender even under relati vely ideal circumstances. The results also show that subjects did not place added emphasis on individuating information when categorical inf ormation had been discredited, suggesting that the categorical and ind ividuating modes operate as parallel, independent judgmental strategie s. The implications of these results for standard theories of social j udgment and base rate utilization are discussed. (C) 1996 Academic Pre ss, Inc.