Prejudiced Communication
Notes on Ruscher (2001) 1 by Matt
I. Definition.
prejudiced communication is communication that explicitly or implicitly conveys
stereotypic attitudes, prejudiced attitudes, and/or discriminatory intentions.
 This includes both blatant forms (e.g., hate speech, extreme symbols, written
discriminatory policies) and subtle forms (e.g., differences in word choices, posture, etc.).
The “subtle” forms are much more interesting to study, and more relevant to this class.
 Occurs at both the interpersonal and cultural levels, and operates on the idea of a
“shared understanding” of cultural stereotypes.
 Serves several functions: group enhancement, ingroup dominance, impression
management, social functions (keeps outgroups separate), time-saver.
II. One Example: The Linguistic Intergroup Bias.
 Intergroup Bias is the tendency to evaluate one’s ingroup positively and one’s
outgroup negatively. How is this manifested in language? Here’s how it works…
1. The way we view the world affects how we describe it.
2. If things are consistent with our expectancies, we tend to describe them more
abstractly; if things are inconsistent, we tend to describe them more specifically.
“Texas is damn hot in August.” VS. “It was cool that one day in ’97.”
3. This carries over to people and groups . . .
“Blacks are lazy.” VS. “Tyronne studied hard for this math test.”
4. . . . But valence matters when we think about ingroups and outgroups.
Example:
pos. behavior = show up early for work
neg. behavior = fall asleep at work
Ingroup Member
(e.g., Whites)
Outgroup Member
(e.g., Blacks)
Positive
EXPECTED
“Jim is hard-working.”
UNEXPECTED
“Tyronne is trying to
impress the boss.”
Negative
UNEXPECTED
“Jim had a long night last night.”
EXPECTED
“Tyronne is just lazy.”
 Moderators: modern racism
motivation to be accurate
need for closure
1
Ruscher, J.B. (2001). Prejudiced communication: A social psychological perspective. New York: Guilford Press.