Stereotypes

Pedro Bordalo, Katherine Coffman, Nicola Gennaioli and Andrei Shleifer

Working Paper from Harvard University OpenScholar

Abstract: We present a model of stereotypes based on Kahneman and Tversky?s representativeness heuristic. A decision maker assesses a target group by overweighting its representative types, which we formally define to be the types that occur more frequently in that group than in abaseline reference group. Stereotypes formed in this way contain a ?kernel of truth?: they are rooted in true differences between groups. They are also context dependent: beliefs about a group depend on the characteristics of the reference group. Because stereotypes emphasizedifferences, they cause belief distortions, particularly when groups are similar. In line with our predictions, beliefs in the lab about abstract groups and beliefs in the field about political groups are context dependent and distorted in the direction of representative types.

Date: 2014-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mic
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Journal Article: Stereotypes (2016)
Working Paper: Stereotypes (2014)
Working Paper: Stereotypes
Working Paper: Stereotypes
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