Stigma by Association in Interracial Contexts: The Effects of Stereotypicality, Proportion, and Closeness

Abstract

Stigma by association is the process of devaluing a member of one’s ingroup based on that persons association with a stigmatized individual. Until quite recently, stigma by association had not been studied as it applies to interracial interactions. This research builds on preliminary findings by examining contextual factors that may increase a stigma by association effect. In Experiment 1, which used a photograph-pairing paradigm, White participants stigmatized White targets paired with highly stereotypic Black friends. In Experiment 2, which used a social media paradigm, White participants degraded White profile holders when they had a high proportion of close Black friends in their social network. Overall, increasing the salience of the race of White targets’ social interaction partners seems to elicit an exaggerated stigma by association effect.