I Like You More if I Think You Like Me: The Effect of Metastereotypes on Attitudes Toward People With Deafness

To stand out or to conform: Stereotypes and meta-stereotypes as barriers in the transition to sustainable diets

What factors hinder the reduction of meat and/or dairy intake? In this study, we explored the perceived barriers that meat and/or dairy reducers experienced when shifting their diets. We particularly focused on how meat and/or dairy reducers were affected by their beliefs about how omnivores stereotype vegans (i.e., meta-stereotypes), as meta-stereotypes have not been previously explored in this context. Through open-ended questions in an online survey, we explored the experiences and perceived barriers among female meat and/or dairy reducers (n = 272), as well as their perceptions of vegans (i.e., stereotypes and meta-stereotypes), and how these perceptions affected their lived experiences. We analysed the data using reflexive thematic analysis and generated six themes. We highlighted perceptions of cost (Theme 1) and perceptions of health concerns (Theme 2) as the most dominant barriers to the reduction of meat and/or dairy intake. Regarding (meta) stereotypes, participants' perceptions of vegans were shaped by personal experiences and encounters with vegans (Theme 3), and how participants related to vegans was sometimes reflected in the language they used to describe vegans (Theme 4). Participants felt that they, or reducers more generally, were occasionally judged as vegans (Theme 5), which might influence participants' choices and conformity to eating norms (Theme 6). Meta-stereotypes may play a role in polarised dietary group perceptions, and we discuss how they are shaped by social identity processes as well as by aspects of Western food systems.

An experimental study of the process of felt understanding in intergroup relations: Japanese and Chinese relations in Japan

"Felt understanding" is a crucial determinant of positive interpersonal and intergroup relationships. However, the question of why felt understanding shapes intergroup relations has been neglected. In a pre-registered test of the process in intergroup relations with a sample from East Asia, we manipulated felt understanding (understood versus misunderstood by an outgroup) in an experimental study (N = 476). The results supported the expectation that felt understanding would lead to a more positive intergroup orientation and action intention. The results of parallel mediation analyses showed that felt understanding indirectly predicted intergroup outcomes through felt positive regard, intergroup overlap, and outgroup stereotypes. Furthermore, the results of post-hoc sequential mediation analyses indicated that felt understanding indirectly predicted intergroup outcomes sequentially through felt positive regard and intergroup overlap, followed by outgroup stereotypes.

How does my partner see me? Metaperceptions of personality and couple satisfaction

This study examined the association between congruence in the two partners' perceptions and their relationship satisfaction. We considered congruence between metaperception and partner-perception (meta-partner) and between metaperceptions and self-rated personality (meta-self). The participants were 236 heterosexual couples. Each couple member reported couple satisfaction and personality traits (in terms of self-perception, partner-perception, and metaperception). The actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) revealed that individuals who believed to be viewed by their partner as more agreeable, conscientious, or emotionally stable than their partner saw them, were less likely to have a partner who was satisfied with the relationship. When metaperceptions of "Agreeableness" were higher than self-perceptions, relationship satisfaction for both the actor and the partner was higher. These findings may help to guide therapeutic and clinical interventions aimed at promoting relationship satisfaction in the context of family and couple therapy.

Metastereotypes, perceived mattering, and well-being among minority groups

Perception of mattering may be especially important for those who are more likely to be the object of negative stereotypes, such as members of minority groups. The present study aimed to analyse the relationship between perceived mattering to family and friends, metastereotypes, and well-being among two minority groups: people living with HIV (PLWHA) and people with disabilities (PWDs). Of 100 participants, 39 were living with HIV and 61 were individuals with disabilities. Multiple regression analyses showed that positive (more than negative) metastereotypes could significantly predict perceived mattering and well-being among both groups. Mattering to both family and friends significantly predicted many dimensions of well-being among both PLWHA and PWDs. These findings show that perception of mattering is related to the well-being of minority group members. Interventions aimed at improving the well-being of individuals who belong to minority groups should focus on positive metastereotypes and the perception of being important to significant others, considering both friends and family members.

Implications of metastereotypes for attitudes toward intergenerational contact

Metastereotypes, the stereotypes a person believes that those outside of their group hold of a social group to which (s)he belongs, have been implicated in problematic intergroup relationships and communication. Using an online survey administered to participants (aged 18–30, or 65 and older) recruited via Amazon’s MTurk (final N = 311), we tested the degree to which eliciting positive versus negative age-based metastereotypes affected perceptions of interage distance and the desire to avoid interage contact. The results of conditional process model analyses suggest that metastereotype valence has an indirect effect on these outcomes via intergroup anxiety, but that this is only the case when individuals believe that age-related stereotypes are applied to them personally by members of an age-based outgroup. These findings suggest that thinking of positive metastereotypes rather than negative ones could be a route to facilitating or improving interage contact, and that personalization could amplify these potential benefits.