Stereotyping by Omission

Stereotyping by Omission: Eliminate the Negative, Accentuate the Positive
Hilary B. Bergsieker
Princeton University
Lisa M. Leslie
University of Minnesota
Vanessa S. Constantine and Susan T. Fiske
Princeton University
Communicators, incite by strategic self-presentation, selectively underreport negative content in
describing their impressions of individuals and embosss of groups, peculiarly for targets whom they
view ambivalently with respect to cacoethes and competence. Communicators avoid overtly inaccurate
descriptions, preferring to turn out negative information and emphasize positive information nearly mixed
individual targets (Study 1). With more public audiences, communicators increasingly prefer negativity
neglect to complete accuracy (Study 2), a process driven by self-presentation concerns (Study 3) and
moderated by bidimensional ambivalence. Similarly, in an extension of the Princeton Trilogy studies,
reported stereotypes of ethnic and bailiwick outgroups systematically omitted negative dimensions over 75
yearsas anti-prejudice norms increasewhile neutral and positive stereotype dimensions remained
constant (Study 4). threefold assessment methods confirm this stereotyping-by-omission phenomenon
(Study 5). Implications of negativity omission for innuendo and stereotype stagnation are discussed.




Keywords: negativity omission, stereotypes, racial and ethnic attitudes, warmth and competence, self-
presentation
Youve got to accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative, Latch
on to the affirmative, Dont green goddess with Mister In-Between!
Mercer, 1985 (pp. 125126)
As Bing Crosby exhorts in the classic birdcall Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the
Positive (Mercer, 1985), dwelling on negativity contravenes societal
norms. Injunctions against derogating others date bear at least to
biblical times (As a north wind brings rain, so a sly spitting brings
angry looks; Prov. 25:23, New International Version), and the
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