Publication:

Reducing Stereotyping Through Mindfulness: Effects on Automatic Stereotype-Activated Behaviors

Thumbnail Image

Open/View Files

Langer_ReducingStereotyping.pdf (155.01 KB)

Date

2008

Authors

Published Version

10.1007/s10804-008-9040-0

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Springer Verlag
The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you.

Research Projects

Organizational Units

Journal Issue

Citation

Djikic, Maja, Ellen J. Langer, and Sarah Fulton Stapleton. 2008. Reducing stereotyping through mindfulness: effects on automatic stereotype-activated behaviors. Journal of Adult Development 15, no. 2: 106-111.

Abstract

We assessed whether mindfulness (active categorization) can prevent automatic stereotype-activated behaviors related to the elderly. Eighty participants (mean age = 24.4) were given a set of photographs to prime the dimension Old Age and were asked to categorize them multiple times, to see whether the effect of the prime could be reduced through increased mindfulness. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions, where they were asked to categorize the photographs across (1) four self-generated categories; (2) four assigned categories; (3) a single category-Gender; or (4) a single category-Age. Participants' walking speed (cf. Bargh et al. 1996, Experiment 2) was then measured, as they moved between the two experimental stations. The results show that greater mindfulness predicted greater walking speed, indicating a decrease in the effect of the automatic stereotype-activated behavior.

Description

Other Available Sources

Research Data

Keywords

elderly, prejudice, stereotypes, mindfulness

Terms of Use

This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material (LAA), as set forth at Terms of Service

URI

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:3196089

Collections

FAS Scholarly Articles

Endorsement

Review

Supplemented By

Related Stories

Story
Reducing Stereotyping Through Mindfulness: Effects on… : DASH Story 2015-01-09
I am in high school and am researching for a short presentation on mindfulness and prejudice to teach my peers seeing as we are in a Brain and Behavior Psychology class currently in the Positive Psychology unit.
Story
Reducing Stereotyping Through Mindfulness: Effects on… : DASH Story 2015-06-20
I found open access [work] in preparation for a presentation that I will give to military healthcare providers and leaders on mindfulness, in an effort to improve the health and well-being in this population. I am grateful for the opportunity to have access to this literature.
Story
Reducing Stereotyping Through Mindfulness: Effects on… : DASH Story 2016-03-22
I am a retired professor. I still try to be active in doing my own research and writing professional articles, blogs, and sharing information with my clients. I have my own company for women's leadership development. Since I am no longer affiliated with an academic institution I cannot get access to scholarly databases to access good research. The small community libraries where I live do not have these databases available. As an alumnus of Research I institutions, I do not have access to those databases either. Since I do not hold an "emeritus" status after retirement, I do not have access to the databases at the universities where I taught. Therefore, I am "stuck" with what I can find on the Internet and I know I am missing good research to support my continuing work in women's leadership development. The fees the publishers charge for access to an online article are outrageous and something I cannot afford. Knowledge should not be selectively limited in this way. It hurts the individual, the community, and the society as a whole. THANK YOU for DASH. This truly is action that supports social justice and equality.