Eliminating the Effects of a Status Characteristic

Abstract

The authors propose a theory in which status generalization from a diffuse status characteristic such as age, race or gender can be eliminated by introducing contradictory information about a specific status characteristic such as task ability. They conducted an experimental test of the theory and found confirmation. The conclusions here differ from results of other experiments in which all status information combined and none was eliminated (including Technical Report #32 and Technical Report #35), and from the aggregation function proposed in the developing theory of status characteristics and expectation states (Berger et al. 1974; 1977).