Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Blinded by the accent!
T2 - the minor role of looks in ethnic categorization
AU - Rakić, Tamara
AU - Steffens, Melanie C.
AU - Mummendey, Amelie
PY - 2011/1
Y1 - 2011/1
N2 - The categories that social targets belong to are often activated automatically. Most studies investigating social categorization have used visual stimuli or verbal labels, whereas ethnolinguistic identity theory posits that language is an essential dimension of ethnic identity. Language should therefore be used for social categorization. In 2 experiments, using the "Who Said What?" paradigm, the authors investigated social categorization by using accents (auditory stimuli) and looks (visual stimuli) to indicate ethnicity, either separately or in combination. Given either looks or accents only, the authors demonstrated that ethnic categorization can be based on accents, and the authors found a similar degree of ethnic categorization by accents and looks. When ethnic cues of looks and accents were combined by creating cross categories, there was a clear predominance of accents as meaningful cues for categorization, as shown in the respective parameters of a multinomial model. The present findings are discussed with regard to the generalizability of findings using one channel of presentation (e.g., visual) and the asymmetry found with different presentation channels for the category ethnicity.
AB - The categories that social targets belong to are often activated automatically. Most studies investigating social categorization have used visual stimuli or verbal labels, whereas ethnolinguistic identity theory posits that language is an essential dimension of ethnic identity. Language should therefore be used for social categorization. In 2 experiments, using the "Who Said What?" paradigm, the authors investigated social categorization by using accents (auditory stimuli) and looks (visual stimuli) to indicate ethnicity, either separately or in combination. Given either looks or accents only, the authors demonstrated that ethnic categorization can be based on accents, and the authors found a similar degree of ethnic categorization by accents and looks. When ethnic cues of looks and accents were combined by creating cross categories, there was a clear predominance of accents as meaningful cues for categorization, as shown in the respective parameters of a multinomial model. The present findings are discussed with regard to the generalizability of findings using one channel of presentation (e.g., visual) and the asymmetry found with different presentation channels for the category ethnicity.
KW - ethnolinguistic identity theory
KW - SOCIAL CATEGORIZATION
KW - LANGUAGE
KW - accents
KW - ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE
KW - IDENTITY
KW - VOICE
KW - INGROUP PROJECTION
KW - "Who said what?" paradigm
KW - CATEGORY
KW - MODEL
KW - multinomial model
KW - RACE
KW - social categorization
KW - PERSON MEMORY
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78751536856&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/a0021522
DO - 10.1037/a0021522
M3 - Journal article
VL - 100
SP - 16
EP - 29
JO - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
JF - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
SN - 0022-3514
IS - 1
ER -