L. Jussim et al., PREJUDICE, STEREOTYPES, AND LABELING EFFECTS - SOURCES OF BIAS IN PERSON PERCEPTION, Journal of personality and social psychology, 68(2), 1995, pp. 228-246
A preliminary study and 3 experiments compared predictions generated b
y contrasting models of how group labels bias person perception. An af
fective model assumed that how much perceivers like different groups m
ediates bias; a cognition model assumed that perceivers' beliefs regar
ding different groups mediates bias; and a third model assumed that bo
th affect and cognition are necessary to mediate bias. Perceivers eval
uated behavior samples provided by targets who were labeled as either
rock music performers or child abusers in the preliminary study and th
e first 2 experiments; homosexuals or heterosexuals in the third exper
iment. In all studies, controlling for liking eliminated bias. The pre
liminary study and Study 3 also showed that controlling for beliefs ab
out the groups eliminated bias. Structural equation modeling provided
support for the affect model in Studies 1 and 2, and mixed support for
the affect model and the cognition model in Study 3. These studies su
ggest an important role for affect in judgmental biases.