The study of the relationship between stereotypes and communication is strongly interdisciplinary, involving not only communication scholars from many areas (interpersonal, discourse, organizational, mass media, computer-mediated communication, and so forth) but also social psychologists, sociolinguists, psycholinguists, and political scientists. In particular, the attention to stereotypes by communication scholars and to communication by social psychologists has helped advance scientific knowledge of the influence of stereotypes as cognitions on communicative behaviors—even at the level of word choice—and the equally strong influence of communication in all its forms on the construction and persistence of stereotypes. The research from both communication and psychological approaches has primarily applied social-scientific theories and methods to the study of stereotypes and communication, providing critical insights into stereotyping as an interpersonal communication process in which the influence of stereotypical beliefs is often implicit, that is, outside the conscious awareness of communicators. Media scholars have added to these insights by highlighting the ways mass media reflect and perpetuate social stereotypes. Discourse scholars have contributed yet another important layer of knowledge, showing how writers and speakers subtly implicate and instantiate stereotypes in text and talk. All of these approaches—interpersonal communication and psychology, discourse, and mass media—have considered the effects of communicative stereotyping on individuals and societies, strategies to reduce negative outcomes, and communication as a resource to lessen stereotyping.
Stereotypes
