FlashReportAutomatic and ironic behavior are both mediated by changes in the self-concept
Research highlights
► Competing theories of automatic behavior disagree on the role of the self-concept. ► We tested whether changes to the self-concept contribute to automatic behavior. ► Activating elderly stereotypes led to more stereotypic behavior. ► Behavior change was, in part, accounted for by changes to the self-concept.
Section snippets
The present study
The aim of this study was to establish whether changes in stereotype-relevant behavior following stereotype priming or suppression are mediated by changes in the self-concept. We examined two behavioral measures that have previously been affected by activating elderly stereotypes: walking speed and memory. After suppressing or priming with stereotypes of the elderly, participants walked down a corridor and completed a recall memory task. To the extent that they assimilated to the elderly
Participants and design
Seventy-two participants1 were tested individually and were randomly assigned to one of three instruction conditions.
Procedure
The experiment took place in three stages, introduced as unrelated studies.2
Behavior
We first standardized both walking time and memory performance, reflecting the latter such that higher scores indicated more stereotypic behavior (i.e., slower walking, fewer words recalled). For ease of interpretation, raw scores are presented in Fig. 1. We entered both scores as repeated measures in an analysis of variance (ANOVA) with instruction condition as a between-participants factor. The results yielded only the predicted main effect of instruction condition, F(2, 69) = 13.91, p < .001, ηp2
Discussion
The results of this study build on those reported by Wyer, Mazzoni, et al. (2010) by providing direct evidence that changes in the self-concept contribute to the effects of concept activation on behavior. Participants for whom elderly stereotypes were activated produced stereotype-consistent behaviors (walking slowly, being forgetful) to a greater extent than did control participants. More importantly, these differences were significantly mediated by the extent to which participants attributed
References (22)
- et al.
Who am I and who are you? Priming and the influence of self versus other focused attention
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
(2009) - et al.
On the relation between associative strength and automatic behavior
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
(2000) - et al.
The perception-behavior expressway: Automatic effects of social perception on social behavior
Advances in Experimental Social Psychology
(2001) - et al.
The perceptual push: The interplay of implicit cues and explicit situational construals on behavioral intentions in the Prisoner's Dilemma
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
(2003) - et al.
Indirect prime-to-behavior effects: The role of perceptions of the self, others, and situations in connecting primed constructs to social behavior
Advances in Experimental Social Psychology
(2010) - et al.
Automaticity of social behavior: Direct effects of trait construct and stereotype activation on action
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
(1996) - et al.
The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic and statistical considerations
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
(1986) - et al.
Academic self-concept and self-efficacy: How different are they really?
Educational Psychology Review
(2003) - et al.
Priming a new identity: Self-monitoring moderates the effects of nonself primes on self-judgments and behavior
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
(2005) Stereotypes and prejudice: Their automatic and controlled components
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
(1989)
Think of capable others and you can make it! Self-efficacy mediates the effect of stereotype activation on behavior
Social Cognition
Cited by (12)
Mitigating negative emotions through virtual reality and embodiment
2022, Frontiers in Human NeuroscienceInvoluntary memories and involuntary future thinking differently tax cognitive resources
2019, Psychological ResearchSmall Change Makes a Big Splash: The Role of Working Self-Concept in the Effects of Stereotype Threat on Memory
2017, Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and AppliedEffect of self-efficacy in stereotype activation
2017, Social Behavior and PersonalityWanting to Be Different Predicts Nonmotivated Change: Actual–Desired Self-Discrepancies and Susceptibility to Subtle Change Inductions
2016, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin