Prime and prejudice: Brief stereotypical media representations can increase prejudicial attitudes and behaviour towards people with schizophrenia

Bowman, Jonathan and West, Keon. 2019. Prime and prejudice: Brief stereotypical media representations can increase prejudicial attitudes and behaviour towards people with schizophrenia. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 29(3), pp. 167-177. ISSN 1052-9284 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Prejudice against people with mental illnesses remains a sig- nificant problem in the United Kingdom and in many other countries despite sustained efforts by governments and charities. This is particularly so for people with schizophre- nia, who are seen as dangerous and unpredictable. The present study investigated the effect of brief, casual, stereo- typical representations on prejudice and behavioural inten- tions towards people with schizophrenia. Participants viewed Halloween costumes in an online environment under the guise of product research. In the experimental condition, they were exposed to a “Psycho Ward” Halloween outfit identical to one sold online by a leading super- market chain in the United Kingdom. Participants in the control condition saw a neutral “pumpkin” Halloween cos- tume. Exposure to the Psycho Ward outfit resulted in more negative behavioural intentions towards people with schizophrenia, mediated by increased prejudice. These find- ings confirm and extend earlier research that implicates adverse media stereotypes in the persistence of prejudice against people with mental illness. More research is war- ranted on the relative effects of different influences on community attitudes to mental illness.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2392

Additional Information:

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Prime and prejudice: Brief stereotypical media representations can increase prejudicial attitudes and behaviour towards people with schizophrenia, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2392. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.

Keywords:

behavioural intentions, mental illness, online, prejudice, schizophrenia, stereotypes

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology

Dates:

DateEvent
19 November 2018Accepted
13 December 2018Published Online
May 2019Published

Item ID:

26142

Date Deposited:

03 Apr 2019 10:10

Last Modified:

11 Jun 2021 11:55

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/26142

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