The role of competition in the rebound effect after suppressing envious stereotypes

Abstract

Suppressing stereotypical thoughts ironically leads to a rebound effect. Although past research examined suppressing stereotypes toward minority and low status group members, such as skinheads and the elderly, we examined the suppression of envious stereotypes. The stereotype content model suggests that successful outgroup members are regarded as competent, but cold. In some cases, feelings of competition toward these outgroup members, engendered by their competence, may increase the salience of this negative trait. We hypothesized that such feelings of competition toward the suppressed target would moderate the rebound effect. Participants were asked to describe a working woman (Experiment 1) or an elite man (Experiment 2), in a work setting with co-workers. Half of the participants were instructed to suppress any unsociable traits in their description, while the other half did not receive this instruction. After this task, stereotype accessibility was measured. Results showed that those who felt competitiveness toward the target were likely to show the rebound effect after stereotype suppression, while those who did not feel any competitiveness did not. We discussed the implication of investigating stereotype suppression from the perspective of person perception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)