Meta-stereotypes: Intergroup anxiety in interracial

Abstract

Previous research postulates that meta-stereotypes (i.e., one’s own perceptions of another group’s stereotypes of the group that one belongs to) affect interracial interaction and causes intergroup anxiety. The present study aimed to examine whether meta-stereotypes affects anxiety experienced in interracial interaction. The sample consisted of 120 students from the University of Witwatersrand. A computer generated experiment with a hypothetical internet chat room was set up. Participants were made to believe that they were interacting with students from different universities. This experiment was used to measure the domains of intergroup anxiety, meta-stereotypes, and attitudes. Various types of scales were used, including a meta-stereotype scale and an inter-group anxiety scale. Findings indicated that white individuals felt more anxious interacting with members who were not from their own racial group, while black participants showed no significant anxiety in their interactions.