The Effects of Racial/Ethnic Self-Identification on Impression Formation

People form impressions of others based on the limited information available to them. When people categorize others to determine whether or not they belong to their ingroup, they may react negatively towards others that they may perceive as inaccurately claiming membership of their ingroup. This study explored the impressions that White U.S. Americans formed of Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) Americans. We hypothesized that White participants would form a more negative impression of a MENA confederate when the confederate identified as White rather than Middle Eastern. We also hypothesized that participants with higher preferences for assimilation would form more positive impressions of the MENA confederate when the confederate identified as White. Results supported these hypotheses. White participants perceived a MENA confederate to be more authentic when self-identifying as MENA compared to White, but participants with high assimilation preferences perceived the MENA confederate to be more authentic when the confederate self-identified as White. These findings demonstrate negative consequences that may result from social classifications that include individuals who ingroup members may view as distinct outsiders while also highlighting some individual differences among ingroup members that may affect their perceptions of these individuals.