“How Prejudiced Do You Think We Are?” The Effects of the “Average Person’s” Prejudice on Individuals’ Subsequent Expressions of Prejudice

Previous studies show that prejudice is an undesirable social attribute and individuals are often motivated to inhibit expressions of prejudice. This study tests the hypothesis that participants’ levels of prejudice will change as a result of their perceptions of the average person’s levels of prejudice. For example, if the average person’s prejudice level is high, then the participants’ prejudice level will also be high. The studies asked participants to respond to thirteen arguments and conclusions related to issues involving Blacks for which they were given the supposed responses for the average person. The results supported the hypothesis in three studies. Participants increased their prejudicial responses when led to believe the average person was higher in prejudice and they lowered their responses if the average person was lower. Participants changed their prejudice responses in both cross-sectional (Studies 1 and 2) and pretest-posttest (Study 3) designs. It can be concluded that participants based their responses on the average person’s responses. This study is important because it shows that when (e.g., through the media) people are led to believe that prejudice is more prevalent they may be more likely to show their own prejudice toward others. The study also suggests that the media can be used as a tool to decrease prejudice by exhibiting that people are less prejudiced, promoting inhibition of individuals’ expression of prejudice toward others