Lacking Warmth and Competence: How Younger Adults Utilize “OK Boomer” According to the Stereotype Content Model

Younger adults have coined the popular retort “OK Boomer,” referring to the 76 million Baby Boomers born between 1946-1964. The Stereotype Content Model (SCM) is a framework used to assess stereotypical perceptions of various groups, and older adults generally fall in the paternalistic “high warmth/low competence” quadrant. The stereotypes behind “OK Boomer” could correspond to any of the four quadrants of the SCM. The present study's goals were to determine the parameters for using the phrase, how hostile and benevolent ageism may underlie its use, and whether or not the eponymous “Boomer” fits into the same cluster in the SCM as older adults in general. In a sample of 316 participants (18-33; M = 23; SD = 5.25), we found that age was related to using “OK Boomer” such that being younger is associated with feeling more comfortable using the phrase in front of anyone (r = -.208, p < .01), using the phrase more frequently (r = -.218, p < .01), and sharing “OK Boomer” memes, pictures, and jokes online (r = -.203, p < .01). Hostile ageism, but not benevolent, was associated with an increased likelihood of saying “OK Boomer” in front of anyone (r = .256, p < .01), to use it more frequently (r = .242, p < .01), and to share “OK Boomer” jokes online (r = .301, p < .01). Content analysis results indicate that “OK Boomer” does not correspond to the paternalistic quadrant of the SCM due to Boomers’ perceived low warmth.

The Nature of Anti-Asian American Xenophobia during the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Preliminary Exploration into Envy as a Key Motivator of Hate

Background. The current Coronavirus pandemic has been linked to a dramatic increase in anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate incidents in the United States. At the time of writing, there does not appear to be any published empirical research examining the mechanisms underlying Asiaphobia during the current pandemic. Based on the stereotype content model, we investigated the idea that ambivalent attitudes toward AAPIs, marked primarily with envy, may be contributing to anti-AAPI xenophobia. Methods. Study 1 (N = 140) explored, through a survey, the link between envious stereotypes toward AAPIs and Asiaphobia. Study 2 (N = 167), utilizing autobiographical recall tasks, experimentally induced the affect of envy in order to establish causality between feelings of envy toward AAPIs and Asiaphobia. Results. In Study 1, envious stereotypes toward AAPIs were found to be predictive of Asiaphobia and, in Study 2, the inducement of envy led to heightened levels of Asiaphobia. Conclusions. The current research provides support for the proposition that, consistent with the stereotype content model, stereotypes and attitudes toward AAPIs marked with ambivalent and envious views, consisting of a mix of perceived competence and lack of “human warmth,” may be fueling Asiaphobia. Implications for potential applications and future research are discussed.

The content of soccer club stereotypes – Perceptions of warmth and competence of German Bundesliga and English Premier League clubs

One of the most prominent social-psychological models describing the content of stereotypes about social groups is the Stereotype Content Model. The model assumes that social groups can be clustered along the dimensions of warmth (How well-intentioned is a group?) and competence (How capable is a group to implement its intentions?). We used this model to describe consensually shared stereotypes about soccer clubs from the German Bundesliga and the English Premier League. Using online questionnaires, we asked 681 and 800 participants to rate warmth, competence of as well as general attitudes and certain emotions associated with clubs from the Bundesliga (Study 1) and the Premier League (Study 2). Results indicated that clubs in both leagues can be grouped into three clusters along the dimensions of warmth and competence. Our approach extends previous work that mainly focusses on unidimensional evaluations of clubs.

Creepy, but Persuasive: In a Virtual Consultation, Physician Bedside Manner, Rather than the Uncanny Valley, Predicts Adherence

Care for chronic disease requires patient adherence to treatment advice. Nonadherence worsens health outcomes and increases healthcare costs. When healthcare professionals are in short supply, a virtual physician could serve as a persuasive technology to promote adherence. However, acceptance of advice may be hampered by the uncanny valley effect—a feeling of eeriness elicited by human simulations. In a hypothetical virtual doctor consultation, 441 participants assumed the patient’s role. Variables from the stereotype content model and the heuristic–systematic model were used to predict adherence intention and behavior change. This 2 × 5 between-groups experiment manipulated the doctor’s bedside manner—either good or poor—and virtual depiction at five levels of realism. These independent variables were designed to manipulate the doctor’s level of warmth and eeriness. In hypothesis testing, depiction had a nonsignificant effect on adherence intention and diet and exercise change, even though the 3-D computer-animated versions of the doctor (i.e., animation, swapped, and bigeye) were perceived as eerier than the others (i.e., real and cartoon). The low-warmth, high-eeriness doctor prompted heuristic processing of information, while the high-warmth doctor prompted systematic processing. This pattern contradicts evidence reported in the persuasion literature. For the stereotype content model, a path analysis found that good bedside manner increased the doctor’s perceived warmth significantly, which indirectly increased physical activity. For the heuristic–systematic model, the doctor’s eeriness, measured in a pretest, had no significant effect on adherence intention and physical activity, while good bedside manner increased both significantly. Surprisingly, cognitive perspective-taking was a stronger predictor of change in physical activity than adherence intention. Although virtual characters can elicit the uncanny valley effect, their effect on adherence intention and physical activity was comparable to a video of a real person. This finding supports the development of virtual consultations.

An Extrapolation of the Stereotype Content Model to University Lecturers

We extrapolated the stereotype content model to the perception of university lecturers by their students. Specifically, using a sample of Zimbabwean students, we tested whether lecturers fall into different clusters in reflection to the degree to which they are perceived as high or low on competence: (1) high competence-high warmth, (2) high competence-low warmth, (3) low competence-high warmth, and (4) low warmth-low competence. We also tested whether lecturers elicit different emotions and whether they are evaluated differently, depending on the clusters they fall into on the competence-warmth nexus. The findings were largely in line with the above hypotheses.

Perceived warmth of offending group moderates the effect of intergroup apologies

The stereotype content model provides a framework for understanding contextual and relational factors that may explain why some intergroup apologies are ineffective. Using actual and fictional scenarios, we examined whether the apology–forgiveness relationship and the apology–remorse relationship were dependent on the victim-group members’ perceived warmth of the offending group. Studies 1 ( N = 101) and 2 ( N = 109) demonstrated that the perceived warmth of the offending group moderated the influence of apology on forgiveness. The interaction effect between apology and forgiveness and that between apology and perceived remorse were qualified in three-way interactions in Studies 3 ( N = 235) and 4 ( N = 586). The warmth-by-apology interaction was detectable among those who were highly offended by the incident. In all four experiments, we found an indirect effect of perceived warmth on forgiveness through perceived remorse. The perceived lack of warmth associated with offending groups may help explain the muted effectiveness of intergroup apologies.