EVALUATIONS OF INGROUP AND OUTGROUP MEMBERS - THE ROLE OF CATEGORY-BASED EXPECTANCY VIOLATION

Examines the role of category-based expectancy violation in explaining extreme evaluations of ingroup and outgroup members. In three experim ents, descriptions about ingroup and outgroup targets were varied to m anipulate expectancy violation. Participants evaluated the global favo rability and rated the trait characteristics of either an ingroup or a n outgroup target. In addition, they indicated the extent to which the targets violated category-based expectancies. Experiment 1, which inc luded two different scenarios that violated category-based expectancie s, showed that expectancy violation affected global evaluations of tar get favorability and that measured expectancies mediated these evaluat ions. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1 and showed that in group an d outgroup targets were evaluated similarly when category-based expect ancies were not violated. Experiment 3 presented positive job resumes that violated or did not violate stereotyped expectancies for female a nd male job applicants. The results showed that female and male target s were evaluated more positively when they violated stereotyped expect ations for their gender group and that these outcomes were not modifie d by the subject's group membership. The results are discussed in term s of expectancy-violation theory as well as assumed-characteristics an d cognitive-complexity theories. (C) 1997 Academic Press.