Abstract
Priming stereotypes can lead to a variety of behavioral outcomes, including assimilation, contrast, and response behaviors. However, the conditions that give rise to each of these outcomes are unspecified. Furthermore, theoretical accounts posit that prime-to-behavior effects are either direct (i.e., unmediated) or mediated by cognitive processes, whereas the role of affective processes has been largely unexplored. The present research directly investigated both of these issues. Three experiments demonstrated that priming a threatening social group ("hoodies") influences both affect and behavior in an interpersonal context. Hoodie priming produced both behavioral avoidance and several affective changes (including social apprehension, threat sensitivity, and self-reported anxiety and hostility). Importantly, avoidance following hoodie priming was mediated by anxiety and occurred only under conditions of other- (but not self-) focus. These results highlight multiple routes through which primes influence affect and behavior, and suggest that attention to self or others determine the nature of priming effects.
DOI
10.1177/0146167210386968
Publication Date
2010-12-01
Publication Title
Pers Soc Psychol Bull
Volume
36
Issue
12
Publisher
SAGE Publications
ISSN
1552-7433
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
Additional Links
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21041523
Keywords
Affect, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Pilot Projects, Questionnaires, Social Behavior, Stereotyping, Students, Universities, Young Adult
First Page
1693
Last Page
1705
Recommended Citation
Wyer, N., Calvini, G., Nash, A., & Miles, N. (2010) 'Priming in interpersonal contexts: implications for affect and behavior.', Pers Soc Psychol Bull, 36(12), pp. 1693-1705. SAGE Publications: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167210386968
