Perceived social status and perceived political and economic competition as predictors of stereotypes: A test of the Stereotype Content Model in Malaysia

Abstract

The current study investigated ingroup and outgroup stereotypes in the Malaysian context, using the Stereotype Content Model. Two studies with Chinese and ethnic Malay participants show that the two dimensions of warmth and competence underlie ingroup and outgroup stereotypes, although a distinction between the two is not always as clear. In line with the SCM it was found that in most cases the ingroup was evaluated more positively than outgroups and that outgroups were evaluated ambivalently. Perceived social status was related to both competence and warmth outgroup stereotypes, whereas perceived competition was not, not even when a distinction was made between perceived economic and political competition.