Compensatory strategies for reducing interpersonal discrimination: the effectiveness of acknowledgments, increased positivity, and individuating information.

Previous research has revealed, across a number of contexts, that stigmatized individuals are the recipients of interpersonal discrimination (e.g., M. R. Hebl, J. B. Foster, L. M. Mannix, & J. F. Dovidio, 2002). Such discrimination has been linked to a number of negative outcomes in the workplace, both for stigmatized individuals and for organizations as a whole (see, e.g., E. B. King, J. L. Shapiro, M. R. Hebl, S. L. Singletary, & S. Turner, 2006; C. O. Word, M. P. Zanna, & J. Cooper, 1974). The current research examines 3 individual-level compensatory strategies aimed at reducing interpersonal discrimination. Results reveal that compensatory strategies are successful in reducing interpersonal discrimination in job application contexts and that such strategies uniquely benefit stigmatized individuals.

Perceptions of obesity across the lifespan.

OBJECTIVE: Previous research on obesity stereotyping has almost extensively involved looking at the perceptions that 5-21-year-old individuals have toward members of their own age in-group. Very little research has examined how people perceive obesity across the lifespan. The current research begins to address this gap by examining the extent to which individuals between 18 and 77 years of age stereotype obesity in 20, 40, and 60-year-old targets. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A total of 106 male and 102 female white participants viewed nine standardized Adobe- cropped photos that depicted 20, 40, and 60-year-old faces on slender, large, and very large-sized bodies. After viewing each photo, participants evaluated the targets on six dimensions used in previous obesity stereotyping research. RESULTS: As predicted, heavier women were rated more negatively than thinner women on every dimension we examined. In addition, older women were rated more negatively than younger women on attractiveness, but more positively on every other dimension. Other main effects revealed that female (relative to male) and older (relative to younger) participants were more lenient in their ratings. Several two-way interactions revealed that the obesity stereotype for attractiveness is exaggerated when targets are younger, that males (compared to females) levy a greater penalty for increasing weight, and that this pattern is exaggerated more for younger men. DISCUSSION: This research shows a consistency across the lifespan in the extent to which participants, varying in weight, age, and sex, stereotype obesity. It also appears that, at least with respect to attractiveness, younger obese individuals are denigrated to a larger degree than older. In sum, this research shows prevalent and consistent patterns of obesity stereotyping across the lifespan.

Hostile and benevolent reactions toward pregnant women: complementary interpersonal punishments and rewards that maintain traditional roles.

A naturalistic field study investigated behavior toward pregnant (vs. nonpregnant) women in nontraditional (job applicant) and traditional (store customer) roles. Female confederates, who sometimes wore a pregnancy prosthesis, posed as job applicants or customers at retail stores. Store employees exhibited more hostile behavior (e.g., rudeness) toward pregnant (vs. nonpregnant) applicants and more benevolent behavior (e.g., touching, overfriendliness) toward pregnant (vs. nonpregnant) customers. A second experiment revealed that pregnant women are especially likely to encounter hostility (from both men and women) when applying for masculine as compared with feminine jobs. The combination of benevolence toward pregnant women in traditional roles and hostility toward those who seek nontraditional roles suggests a system of complementary interpersonal rewards and punishments that may discourage pregnant women from pursuing work that violates gender norms.

The stigma of obesity in customer service: a mechanism for remediation and bottom-line consequences of interpersonal discrimination.

Using a customer service paradigm, the authors extended the justification-suppression model (JSM) of prejudice (C. S. Crandall & A. Eshleman, 2003) to include contemporary, covert forms of discrimination and to identify a discrimination remediation mechanism. Overall, the results of 3 studies revealed that actual and confederate obese shoppers in high-prejudice justification conditions faced more interpersonal discrimination than average-weight shoppers. Furthermore, Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that adopting strategies that remove perceivers' justifications for discriminating against obese individuals (i.e., the controllability of weight) decreases the incidence of interpersonal discrimination. Additionally, Study 3 demonstrates negative bottom-line consequences of interpersonal discrimination for organizations (e.g., customer loyalty, purchasing behavior). Together, these studies confirm that the JSM applies to covert forms of discrimination, show the importance of examining subtle discrimination, and offer a mechanism for theory-driven strategies for the reduction of covert forms of discrimination.