The Implications of Priming the

Abstract

Media effects research has yet to shed light on the effects of exposure to the stereotype of Latinos as passionate and seductive (i.e., Latin lovers). Research on priming ethnic group stereotypes indicates that the activated stereotype affects subsequent evaluations of members of the ethnic group. This study looked at the effects of priming the Latin lover stereotype on participants' judgments of unrelated targets. A self-categorization theory approach was invoked to account for individual differences in priming effects, by assessing the role that ethnicity salience and stereotype endorsement play in priming effects. The experiment found little support for the effects of priming the Latin lover stereotype. Ethnicity accessibility and stereotype endorsement mainly moderated priming effects dealing with perceptions of an unrelated White male target's romanticism, perceptions of an unrelated Latino male target's relational commitment, perceptions of a relationally-committed female target's ethnicity, and compatibility ratings involving the relationally-committed female target. Reasons for the weak priming results are discussed.