Ethnophaulisms for Ethnic Immigrant Groups: Cognitive Representation of `the Minority' and `the Foreigner'

Abstract

An archival analysis was conducted on the ethnophaulisms for ethnic immigrant groups as a function of the size and the `foreignness' of those groups. Cognitive representation was operationalized as the degree of complexity in, and the valence of, the ethnophaulisms applied to ethnic immigrant groups in the United States during each of 15 consecutive 10-year time periods. Group size was operationalized as the number of first-generation persons in these ethnic groups during each of these same 15 10-year time periods. Foreignness was operationalized in terms of complexion, facial appearance, and language of these ethnic immigrant groups. Ethnophaulisms for smaller groups tended to be less complex and more negative. And, ethnophaulisms for more foreign groups tended to be less complex and more negative. Analyses delineate the interrelations between ethnic immigrant group size, ethnic immigrant group foreignness, and the cognitive representations of these groups. The implications of these results for research on intergroup perceptions are discussed.

Ethnophaulisms for ethnic immigrant groups: the contributions of group size and familiarity

“…This link between lower complexity and negativity in intergroup cognitive representations would be analogous to Ben-Ari, Keden, and Levy-Weiner's (1992) observation that people with low cognitive complexity responded to outgroups with more extreme negative evaluations (see also Koenig & King, 1964;Schaller, Boyd, Yohannes, & O'Brien, 1995;Sidanius, 1985). Mullen, Rozell, and Johnson (2000) have recently examined this relationship between ethnophaulism complexity and ethnophaulism valence, and found that more negative ethnophaulisms did indeed cluster together with lower complexity. Nashville, TN, 2000;Taylor, Fiske, Etcoff, & Ruderman, 1978;Wolman & Frank, 1975;cf.…”

“…Mullen and Johnson (1993) interpreted this result as an indication of an increase in prototype representation as a function of the relative rarity of the ethnic immigrant groups. This pattern has subsequently been replicated experimentally (Mullen & Johnson, 1995) and with more ®ne-grained archival analyses (Mullen et al, 2000).…”

“…This model of group size ±salience±mode of cognitive representation has received a considerable amount of support (e.g. Mullen, 1991;Mullen & Johnson, 1995;Mullen et al, 1994Mullen et al, , 1996Mullen et al, , 2000Nichols et al, presented at the meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, Nashville, TN, 2000).…”

“…However, more recently Mullen et al (2000) demonstrated a signi®cant tendency for smaller groups to be cognitively represented with ethnophaulisms that were more negatively valenced.…”

“…The present investigation is an extension of previous efforts to explore the use of ethnophaulisms as cognitive representations of ethnic immigrant groups (Mullen & Johnson, 1993, 1995Mullen, Rozell, & Johnson, 2000). To begin, the use of ethnophaulisms as cognitive representations of ethnic immigrant groups will be reviewed.…”