Describing a group in positive terms reduces prejudice less effectively than describing it in positive and negative terms☆

Reports Describing a group in positive terms reduces prejudice less effectively than describing it in positive and negative terms ☆ a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o In a series of five experiments, we demonstrate that exposure to information related to an out-group's hetero-geneity reduces prejudice more effectively than exposure to only positive characteristics of the out-group. We exposed participants to a poster that associated both positive and negative traits with an out-group (mixed condition), to a poster that associated only positive traits with the out-group (positive condition), or to no poster (control condition). Results revealed that participants in the mixed condition expressed less explicit prejudice (Experiments 1–2) and less implicit bias (Experiments 3–4) than participants in the other two conditions. The last experiment demonstrated that the mixed poster was more acceptable and created less reac-tance than the positive poster. The results suggest that a persuasive message highlighting both the positive and negative characteristics of the out-group reduces prejudice more effectively because it is easily acceptable and yet effectively modifies people's representation of the out-group. Introduction Presenting out-group members in a positive manner (e.g., " they are hardworking ") is an important route by which reduction in prejudice and more positive intergroup relations can be achieved. When individuals are incidentally exposed to admired African Americans and disliked White Americans they express less implicit race bias than control participants who are not exposed to these specific group members (Dasgupta & Greenwald, 2001). Similarly, other authors found that portraying members of the out-group in positive contexts or repeatedly pairing the out-group's name with positive concepts can have a beneficial effect on stereotyping and prejudice. (2000), for example, showed that after receiving training in negating stereotypes, participants demonstrated reduced stereotype activation (see also Other researchers suggested that prejudice can de reduced by reminding individuals of the fact that the members of a given out-group are variable, that is, that some members possess positive characteristics and other members possess negative characteristics (e.g., " some are hardworking and some are not "). This idea is based on the concept of perceived variability, which refers to the degree to which individuals perceive a group as homogeneous or heterogeneous (Quattrone & Jones, 1980). Social psychologists have argued that the perceived variability of a social group influences an indivi-dual's attitude toward that group. Ryan, Judd and …