Impulsive Facial Threat Perceptions After Exposure to Stereotypic Crime News

• In Event: Identity and Stereotypes in Mass Media

Abstract

Tests were performed to learn if exposure to news about crimes committed by dark-skinned criminals increases the impulsive facial threat perception of meeting dark-skinned strangers in a subsequent situation, but only when the facial displays are ambiguous. The hypothesis is that media stereotypes prime the “dark-skinned criminal” stereotype in memory which, in turn, influences subsequent face processing. An experiment with two groups was used to test this hypothesis. For the treatment group (n = 53), “dark-skinned criminals” were mentioned as the offenders. In contrast, for the control group (n = 52), skin color was not mentioned at all. As predicted, exposure to media stereotypes increased the perceived facial threat of dark-skinned strangers, but only when the facial displays were ambiguous.

Author

• Florian Arendt, U of Vienna