The Effect of In-Group/Out-Group Status on Memory for Consistent and Inconsistent Behavior of an Individual

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Abstract
Research has demonstrated better memory for behavior inconsistent wvith an expectation when the target is an individual. When the target is a group, consistent information is better recalled than inconsistent or irrelevant. In this study, the target was an individual, but the expectation derived from his or her membership in a social (gender) group. Mention of the target's gender was sufficient to evoke the gender stereotype, resulting in better memory for gender-inconsistent than consistent items, but only when the target was a member of the gender out-group. The explanation proposed is that low variability is expected among out-group members, rendering inconsistent behaviors particularly surprising. Individuals who perceived the target's gender group more stereotypically showed a marginally reliable tendency to better recall the inconsistent behaviors. Impressions of the target were driven by the target's gender and were largely unrelated to the contents of memory.

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