Social identity salience and the emergence of stereotype consensus

In recent years, there has been a renewal of interest in the processes thro ugh which groups coordinate social perceptions and judgement. This topic is particularly important for the study of stereotyping, as most of the impac t of stereotypes derives from the fact that they are widely shared within s ocial groups. The present experiment (N = 132) tests the assertion that per ceivers are more likely to generate a shared in-group stereotype to the ext ent that they define themselves and interact in terms of a common social ca tegory membership. Results supported predictions, indicating that manipulat ions intended to heighten social identity salience affected the content of self-categorizations leading to enhanced stereotype consensus and favorable ness. As predicted, effects apparent when individuals completed stereotype checklists were also enhanced when checklists were completed in. groups. Th ese results are consistent with predictions derived from self-categorizatio n theory and point to the capacity for internalized group memberships to st ructure and regulate cognition.