The Impact of a Passing Reference to Race on Perceptions of Out-group Differentiation: 'If You've Seen One...'

Although a considerable amount of attention has been given to the cognitive origins, and the resulting consequences, of out-group variability effects, little research has examined the extent to which perceptions of variability are influenced by social interactions. In the current study, participants heard about a person who was assaulted by either a Black or a White assailant. They then completed a group differentiation measure. As expected, participants in the Black assailant condition perceived Blacks in a less differentiated manner than participants in either the control or the White assailant conditions.