Social Stigma vs. Situational Status in Dyadic Interactions

Dartmouth College, Hanover NH

Investigators

Abstract

The purpose of this planning grant is to initiate a program of research examining the influence of situational status-defining roles on cognitive, affective, and behavioral dynamics of intergroup dyadic interactions. Specifically, this research explores how situational status impacts dyadic interactions between members of traditionally stigmatized groups (African Americans and women in workplace contexts), and members of traditionally nonstigmatized groups (White Americans and men). Three distinct dyadic types emerge from combinations of situational and socio-cultural status: status-congruent, status-reversed, and equal-status. The studies provide an initial foray into the impact of these three dyadic types on an important dynamic of intergroup relations: intergroup attitudes. Previous research and theory make conflicting predictions about how these dyadic types affect the attitudes of members of dominant groups regarding the stigmatized outgroup. The research examines whether explicitly endorsed attitudes moderate the effects of dyadic type, and possibly, therefore, resolve current discrepancies in the literature. Nonverbal behavioral correlates of the effects of status-congruent, equal-status, and status-reversed interactions on automatic attitudes are also investigated. These planning activities are expected to launch a program of research, investigating the influences of structural factors (such as interaction roles) and motivational factors (such as interaction goals) on multiple dynamics of intergroup dyadic interactions. The findings will help our understanding of intergroup conflict, as well as elucidate pitfalls in current approaches to prejudice reduction.