Stereotype fragments positive impressions of disadvantaged groups
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The halo effect reflects a fundamental bias in person perception: humans infer multiple positive qualities from a single trait, assuming traits cohere. Here we show that this coherence depends on targets’ social status and perceivers’ stereotype endorsement. Across four correlational datasets and two experiments examining gender, age, economic status, mental health, and novel groups (total N = 623), perceivers high in stereotype endorsement showed weaker coherence between warmth and competence inferences for disadvantaged than for advantaged targets. In preregistered experiments with novel groups, learning a low-competence stereotype weakened conceptual trait coherence, and after learning only about group status, the coherence gap scaled with the competence stereotypes participants formed. These findings reveal a subtle form of bias: stereotypes fragment the cognitive scaffolding of impression formation, imposing unequal burdens on members of marginalized groups.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Authors: Daniel DongWon Oh, Yuqing Shi
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Reduced inequalities
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223483802