1
|
Golubickis M, Persson LM, Falbén JK, Seow SH, Jalalian P, Sharma Y, Ivanova M, Macrae CN. Facial misfits accelerate stereotype-based associative learning. Sci Rep 2024; 14:19320. [PMID: 39164271 PMCID: PMC11336254 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67770-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Counterstereotypes challenge the deleterious effects that gender-typed beliefs exert on people's occupational aspirations and lifestyle choices. Surprisingly, however, the critical issue of how readily unexpected person-related knowledge can be acquired remains poorly understood. Accordingly, in two experiments in which the facial appearance of targets was varied to manipulate goodness-of-stereotype-fit (i.e., high vs. low femininity/masculinity), here we used a probabilistic selection task to probe the rate at which counter-stereotypic and stereotypic individuals can be learned. Whether occupational (Expt. 1) or trait-related (Expt. 2) gender stereotypes were explored, a computational analysis yielded consistent results. Underscoring the potency of surprising information (i.e., facial misfits), knowledge acquisition was accelerated for unexpected compared to expected persons, both in counter-stereotypic and stereotypic learning contexts. These findings affirm predictive accounts of social perception and speak to the optimal characteristics of interventions designed to reduce stereotyping outside the laboratory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marius Golubickis
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, Scotland, UK.
| | - Linn M Persson
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, Scotland, UK
| | - Johanna K Falbén
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Siew Hwee Seow
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, Scotland, UK
| | - Parnian Jalalian
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, Scotland, UK
| | - Yadvi Sharma
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, Scotland, UK
| | - Margarita Ivanova
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, Scotland, UK
| | - C Neil Macrae
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, Scotland, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Reggev N. Motivation and prediction-driven processing of social memoranda. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 159:105613. [PMID: 38437974 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Social semantic memory guides many aspects of behavior. Individuals rely on acquired and inferred knowledge about personal characteristics and group membership to predict the behavior and character of social targets. These predictions then determine the expectations from, the behavior in, and the interpretations of social interactions. According to predictive processing accounts, mnemonic and attentional mechanisms should enhance the processing of prediction-violating events. However, empirical findings suggest that prediction-consistent social events are often better remembered. This mini-review integrates recent evidence from social and non-social memory research to highlight the role of motivation in explaining these discrepancies. A particular emphasis is given to the continuous nature of prediction-(in)consistency, the epistemic tendency of perceivers to maintain or update their knowledge, and the dynamic influences of motivation on multiple steps in prediction-driven social memory. The suggested framework provides a coherent outlook of existing work and offers promising future directions to better understand the ebb and flow of social memoranda.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niv Reggev
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel; School of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|