Are Racial Stereotypes Really Fading?
Patricia G. Devine University of Wisconsin-Madison Andrew J. Elliot University of Rochester In this article, the authors identify three methodological short-comings of the classic Princeton trilogy studies: (a) ambiguity of the instructions given to respondents, (b) no assessment of respondents’ level of prejudice, and (c) use of an outdated list of adjectives. These shortcomings are addressed in the authors’ assessment of the stereotype and personal beliefs of a sample of University of Wisconsin students. In contrast to the commonly espoused fading stereotype proposition, data suggest that there exists a consistent and negative contemporary stereotype of Blacks. Comparing the data from the Princeton trilogy studies with those of the present study, the authors conclude that the Princeton trilogy studies actually measured respondents’ personal beliefs, not (as typically assumed) their knowledge of the Black stereotype. Consistent with Devine’s model, high- and low-prejudiced individuals
