WHEN THE SOCIAL BECOMES PERSONAL: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF COMMON GROUND IN STEREOTYPE COMMUNICATION

Two studies test the assumption that the tendency to preferentially communicate stereotype-consistent information about individuals can be explained in terms of communicational grounding. In Study 1, this bias was stronger when communicators told a story to a friend than to a stranger. In Study 2, dyads either discussed a stereotype about a novel group (discussion condition) or merely thought individually about this stereotype (thinking condition). Participants then reproduced a story involving a group member performing both stereotype-consistent and inconsistent behaviors to one of two audiences. One member addressed the other dyad member whereas the latter wrote the story for an unknown audience. Participants in the discussion condition were more likely to emphasize stereotype-consistent behaviors when addressing the other dyad member (with whom they had grounded the stereotype) than an unknown audience. These findings suggest that stereotype-consistent communication is more likely when stereotypes are part of the personal common ground.