PREJUDICED RESPONSES AND AFFECT

Recent research has demonstrated that individuals experience negative affect (e.g. discomfort) when they are more prejudiced than what their personal standards allow. This affective response has been attributed to the discrepancy between personal standards and prejudiced response s, with discrepancy operationalized as the sum of difference scores be tween a measure of personal standards and a measure of proneness to be prejudiced. The use of an algebraic difference index to operationaliz e discrepancy, however, is appropriate ii and only if the assumptions that underlie an algebraic difference index are met. The present study shows that these assumptions are not met. The implications of these f indings for research on prejudiced responses and affect are discussed. Recommendations regarding the use of alternative approaches for study ing prejudice-related discrepancies are also offered.