2001/01/01 by Benoît Monin, Dale T. Miller · 1,001 citations
Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Cultural Differences and Values #Expression (computer science) #Perception #Prejudice (legal term) #Psychology #Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment #Social and Intergroup Psychology #Social perception #Social psychology
paper · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.81.1.33
published in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 81(1), 33-43 (American Psychological Association)
openalex publication_date 2001/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Three experiments supported the hypothesis that people are more willing to express attitudes that could be viewed as prejudiced when their past behavior has established their credentials as nonprejudiced persons. In Study 1, participants given the opportunity to disagree with blatantly sexist statements were later more willing to favor a man for a stereotypically male job. In Study 2, participants who first had the opportunity to select a member of a stereotyped group (a woman or an African American) for a category-neutral job were more likely to reject a member of that group for a job stereotypically suited for majority members. In Study 3, participants who had established credentials as nonprejudiced persons revealed a greater willingness to express a politically incorrect opinion even when the audience was unaware of their credentials. The general conditions under which people feel licensed to act on illicit motives are discussed.