Resistance to Stereotype Reduction: The Impact of Existing Cognitions on the Selection and Processing of Entertainment Narratives Featuring Counter-stereotypical Exemplars

Abstract

Entertainment media can reach millions with relatively little effort and communicate prosocial themes without triggering much reactance. This may make them especially efficient tools for large-scale positive impacts—including those facilitated by counter-stereotypical exemplars. For decades, we have seen increasing attention to the community that is represented in and producing entertainment media in the US (Larrazet & Rigoni, 2014). Most recently, movements like #OscarsSoWhite, #WhiteWashedOUT and #RepresentationMatters have pushed for increased diversity in US entertainment media, both on screen and behind the scenes. In addition to validating the experiences of marginalized groups, increased representation of the full range of individuals and communities in society can help foster intergroup understanding. When representations are counter-stereotypical, they can also create new positive associations and/or challenge existing damaging associations that are common in the culture.

Though US media representations generally continue to perpetuate social stereotypes, there has been an increase in content featuring counter-stereotypical representations of marginalized groups over time. This suggests a relative increase in opportunities for people to be exposed to these representations, which could facilitate larger shifts in cultural stereotypes. However, it is unclear if an increase in their availability will result in stereotype reduction on a societal level.

Research and theory suggest that message selection, interpretation, and discounting processes are all impacted by one’s existing beliefs and attitudes (e.g., Kahan, 2017; Klapper, 1960; Vidmar et al., 1974) presenting potential barriers to the widespread influence of counter-stereotypical representations. In this dissertation, I argue that existing stereotypical beliefs lead to (a) not selecting counter-stereotypical representations, (b) interpreting ambiguous story events to be consistent with existing stereotypes, and (c) dismissing representations that are inconsistent with existing stereotypes as unrealistic or otherwise not warranting application to one’s knowledge about social reality.

I investigate each of these barriers in relation to social stereotypes about natural intelligence which have been used as the basis for discrimination against non-dominant groups and their exclusion from influential occupations. I find that gender and racial intelligence-related stereotype endorsement does indeed impact selection, interpretation, and realism judgments of counter-stereotypical genius characters. Thus, while mass media has great potential to facilitate exposure to counter-stereotypical exemplars on a large scale, our present high-choice media environment and motivated cognition make it likely that those who could benefit most from the representations (that is, those who strongly endorse stereotypes about the represented group) will either never see them, reinterpret them, or dismiss them entirely.