1. Do Asians think of themselves as smart but shy?
Cognitive underpinnings of the Model Minority Stereotype
Anudhi P. Munasinghe1, Dan Tao2 , Joni Y. Sasaki3, & Richard N. Lalonde3
1University of California Santa Barbara, 2Concordia University, 3York University
Study
Discussion
Introduction
Participants: 170 Asian Canadians (Mage = 20; 117 women)
Generational status:
78 First-generation; 78 Second-generation; 10 Third-generation
Ethnicity:
68 Chinese, 29 Filipino, 24 Vietnamese, 16 Korean.
Between groups Independent Variable:
3 conditions – news article
Positive trait confirmation: Asian Canadians are excelling in academics
Positive trait disconfirmation: Asian Canadians are failing in academics
Neutral control: tourism
Within groups Independent Variable:
Mean reaction times for
(1) Negative stereotypic words (e.g. unsociable)
(2) Neutral words (e.g. astronomer)
(3) Non-words (e.g. heimwracking).
Hypothesis: Experimental conditions would be associated with faster reaction times for negative word recognition than the control condition.
Results: Condition X Word interaction was marginally sig. (p = 0.086)
Moderating effect of generational status of Asian Canadians
The above interaction was non-significant for the 1st generation Asian Canadians, but was significant for the combined 2nd and 3rd generations (F(2,85) = 5.45, p = 0.006).
Confirming versus disconfirming conditions
Contrary to expectation, the participants who read the article that confirmed East Asians possessing positive MMS traits did not show a significant difference between recognizing negative MMS trait words versus neutral words, while such a difference was observed in the participants who read the article that disconfirmed East Asians possessing positive MMS traits.
Alternate hypotheses
One explanation for this could be that participants who read an article that disconfirmed positive traits may have become more attuned to negative words due to the negative affect that was primed as a result of disconfirming the positive traits.
However, given that second- and third-generation Asian Canadians showed shorter reaction times in identifying negative words versus neutral words than first-generation Asian Canadians, we argue that length of exposure to the MMS has a greater impact on the results than the shared negative affect of the words.
In this case, why would thoughts of negative MMS traits be activated only when participants read an article that disconfirms the possession of positive MMS traits by their group? We hypothesized that this may be due to the novelty of this information. In reading that the positive traits stereotypically ascribed to their group are not actually characteristic of them, participants may have been prompted to think more deeply about the MMS, thus leading them to think both of the positive as well as the negative traits associated with it.
We are now investigating whether the opposite pattern could be detected in priming negative MMS traits in Asian Canadian participants and measuring for activation of positive MMS traits. Future studies will also look into the potential consequences of this cognitive yoke, given that it does not seem to be activated unless group members are exposed to information that contradicts widely held stereotypical views of their group.
Ho, C., & Jackson, J. W. (2001). Attitudes toward Asian Americans: Theory and measurement. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 31(8), 1553– 1581.
Lalonde, R. N., & Sasaki, J. Y. (2015). The double-edged sword of the model- minority stereotype: Cognitive components, affective responses, and psychological outcomes. Manuscript in preparation.
The Model Minority Stereotype (MMS) is collection of positive and negative traits ascribed to Asian Americans. On one hand, the MMS confers traits of hard work and intelligence, but on the other hand, it also ascribes traits the of social awkwardness and inherent shyness.
Past research has found that non-Asian Americans conceptualized Asian Americans as possessing both the negative and positive traits of the MMS (Ho & Jackson, 2001), but a gap remains in the literature regarding the cognitive representation of these traits by Asian Americans.
In an effort to understand the MMS from the perspective of Asian Americans, Lalonde and Sasaki (2015) devised the following model.
The current study was designed to investigate the Cognitive Components of the MMS.
Research question: Does a cognitive yoke exist in Asian Canadians between the positive and negative traits encompassed by the MMS?
Hypothesis: Asian Canadians do hold a cognitive yoke between the positive and negative MMS traits, whereby the priming of positive MMS traits (e.g. ambitious, hardworking, intelligent) will implicitly activate negative MMS trait words (e.g. shy, quiet, conservative) and vice versa, enabling faster recognition of such trait words versus neutral words.
Socio-cultural Context (e.g. Public perceptions, media)
Cognitive Components of the MMS
Affective Responses
(emotions, identity threat)
Outcomes
(Well being, acculturation)
Negative stereotypes
Positive stereotypes
Cultural Moderators (e.g. Generational status) *
The Current Study
References