ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STEREOTYPES AND PREJUDICE - AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY

This study examined the hypothesis that emotional reactions to nationa l groups would be associated with evaluative responses to the traits f orming the stereotypes of these groups. A hierarchical regression anal ysis of American and Russian subjects' emotional reactions to American s, Russians, and Iraqis supported this prediction in four of six cases . In addition, simultaneous regression analyses indicated that self-es teem, ethnocentrism, and authoritarianism were each a significant pred ictor in two of the six analyses, weakly supporting trends found in ot her research. In general, the personality traits were not as consisten tly or as strongly associated with emotional reactions to these groups as were the evaluative aspects of stereotypes. A network model of cog nition and affect is used to interpret the findings of this and relate d studies and to address their implications for changing prejudice.