Susan Fiske, Princeton University

Date: 

Friday, October 23, 2015, 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Location: 

CGIS S050

Title: Ambivalent Stereotyping Links to National Inequality and Conflict

Description: Societal stereotypes go beyond mere valence, good versus bad. More than a decade of research suggests that basic dimensions structure stereotypes around the world: Warmth (trustworthiness) and competence (effectiveness) universally account for societal stereotypes. Ambivalent examples (high/low or low/high stereotypes) occur frequently. And use of this Warmth X Competence stereotype space, including ambivalence, varies predictably across nations. In particular, income inequality predicts more ambivalence, as if such nations have more to explain. Also, extremes of peace and conflict predict less ambivalence, but for different reasons. Perhaps stereotype ambivalence is functional for some societies.