The Relationship of Stereotypes about Helpers to Help-Seeking Judgments, Preferences, and Behaviors

Abstract

This study examined the relationship of two conceptually distinct components of stereotypes (perceived group stereo typicality and perceived group dispersion) to judgments and help-seeking behavior Eighty-six participants had an opportunity to request help on a math test from either an Asian American or a White American male target. Participants who perceived Asian Americans more stereotypically as a group relative to White Americans judged the Asian American target in a more stereotypic manner and requested more help from him than from the White American target. Participants who perceived Asian Americans to be more dispersed as a group relative to White Americans were less confident in their judgments and took longer to make help-seeking decisions. These results extend previous work by demonstrating that perceived stereo typicality and perceived dispersion are conceptually distinct components of stereotypes that not only have different relationships with judgments but also with behaviors.