Social stereotyping of left-handers in Serbia

Abstract

Social tolerance towards left-handed people is commonly accepted in the twenty-first century, though not universal. However, at the level of social cognition a subtle bias against this visible minority group might not have disappeared. To investigate this possibility we adopted the theoretical framework of the stereotype content model (SCM) whereby two fundamental dimensions (warmth and competence) are sufficient to explain group differences in stereotype content. We examined how a large sample of medical students (N=300) perceived nine social groups (seven with various physical, social, or mental handicaps, and the two target groups of left- and right-handers), and four "anchor" groups comprising educated people, pensioners, drug addicts, and rich people) which are considered as prototypical in terms of the SCM. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to determine similarity of groups in the warmth × competence two-dimensional space. Four clusters were identified, with left- and right-handers located in the same cluster together with educated people. This cluster had higher ratings on both warmth and competence (i.e., more positive stereotype) compared with all other groups. However, within-cluster analysis showed that the left-handed group was perceived as lower on both dimensions compared to the right-handed group. This statistically significant difference suggests that implicit bias against left-handed individuals has not vanished despite pervasive social tolerance. Possible mechanisms that may explain this subtle and subliminal stereotyping are discussed.

Biased semantics for right and left in 50 Indo‐European and non‐Indo‐European languages

“…For space reasons, I have left out discussing the interesting issue of human categorizing the continuum out there in the world in binary oppositional pairs, which is so typically connected to the left–right issue and all the other dualistic classifications associated with it; see especially the examples from Africa, and also the volume edited by Needham (see Table ). Recent studies show that in a few Western cultures, the former widespread stigmatism of left‐handers is diminishing or possibly even absent …”

“…Recent studies show that in a few Western cultures, the former widespread stigmatism of left-handers is diminishing or possibly even absent. 6,43 Whenever there is, in whatever human society, a minority, it is perceived as not being like the others, as odd, mostly as physically, mentally, and/or morally inferior. Also the opposite can happen; particularly gifted individuals or groups of individuals may be seen as special and receive admiration.…”

“…Educational programs have become more tolerant these days, yet studies show that this may not be the case everywhere (e.g., Refs. [2][3][4][5][6].…”

Historical aspects of left-handedness

“…Even in a relatively open-minded and informed society of today, parents and teachers may encourage a left-handed child to switch to right-handedness to make their lives easier in a largely right-handed world. A good percentage of natural left-handed people tell of their own self-inflicted attempts to switch hands during childhood [29].…”

“…At the level of social cognition in Serbia, subtle prejudice against this minority group is still present and visible. This is demonstrated by the fact that the prevalence of left-handedness is lower in Serbia than in Western Europe (5-10% vs. 11-14%) [29]. In a study conducted in Belgrade on a sample of 1,189 children aged 15-19 years, the percentage of left-handed children was 6.8%, with a significantly higher number of male left-handed people compared to female population (8.9% vs. 4.8%) [26].…”