Impulsive facial threat perceptions after exposure to stereotypic crime news

Arendt, Florian (2017): Impulsive facial threat perceptions after exposure to stereotypic crime news. In: Communication Research, Vol. 44, No. 6: pp. 793-816

Abstract

Tests were performed to learn whether exposure to news about crimes committed by dark-skinned criminals increases impulsive facial-threat perceptions of meeting dark-skinned strangers in a subsequent situation (media-priming hypothesis), but only when the facial displays are ambiguous (ambiguity hypothesis). The assumption is that news stereotypes prime the “dark-skinned criminal” stereotype, which, in turn, influences subsequent face processing. An experiment with two groups was used to test this prediction. Participants allocated to the treatment group (n = 53) read about crimes committed by dark-skinned criminals. In contrast, for the control group (n = 52), cues indicating skin color were not mentioned at all. As predicted, the treatment increased the perceived facial threat of dark-skinned strangers, but only when the facial displays were ambiguous. Given the importance of the face in social interaction, I discuss important, real-world implications for recipients as well as for journalists and media organizations.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Social Sciences > Communication
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology
• ISSN: 1552-3810 ; 0093-6502
• Alliance/National Licence: This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.
• Language: English