Perceiving ingroup members who use stereotypes: Implicit conformity and similarity

Previous studies have shown that people subtly conform more to ingroup members who use stereotype-consistent rather than stereotype-inconsistent information when describing an outgroup member (Castelli, Vanzetto, Sherman, & Arcuri, 2001). In the present article, we will address two important issues. First, we will examine whether this subtle conformity toward stereotypers is related to individuals’ prejudice level (Study 1). Second, we will examine one of the processes that underlie the perception of ingroup members who use stereotype-consistent information, hypothesizing that individuals implicitly feel more similar to such sources than to ingroup members who use stereotype-inconsistent information (Study 2). Both hypotheses were confirmed and results are discussed in terms of the distinction between implicit and explicit attitudes and their implications in the maintenance of social stereotypes.