Spontaneous stereotypes: revisiting stereotype dimensions through language

Introduction: The present study, grounded in the Spontaneous Stereotype Content Model, explores the extent to which the evaluation of one group reflects the vertical and horizontal facets of social evaluation and stereotypes. Methods: In an online survey, 245 Italian youths (60.4% female; Mage = 26, SD = 3.4) indicated the most common words used to describe Southern Italians in Italy, through free-text responses and scale-based measures. Results: Southern Italians are perceived as more sociable, but less capable, assertive, and moral. The four facets of social evaluation reflect the spontaneous stereotypes detected through natural language analysis. Discussion: The implications of positive stereotypes about social groups in language and communication are discussed. Ambivalent stereotypes can potentially minimize the perceived impact of negative traits, thereby perpetuating socioeconomic inequalities.