Stereotypes and Prejudice as Dynamic Constructs: Reminders about the Nature of Intergroup Bias from the Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts

Abstract

Following Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents, many of whom were African Americans, were relocated to communities around the U.S., including predominantly European American communities. The experiences of relocation community members are a potent reminder of the ever‐changing and multiply‐determined nature of stereotypes and prejudice. Prejudice and stereotyping are dynamic processes that evolve in response to numerous factors. Although several models of prejudice and stereotyping are dynamic and/or time‐oriented, research on these topics predominantly has involved single‐session laboratory experiments examining single mechanisms. To illustrate the importance of dynamic research, we outline a longitudinal model describing the potential independent and interactive effects of intergroup contact, individuating information, and perceived group threat from Katrina evacuees on prejudice and stereotypes about African Americans. The “natural experiment” created by the Katrina relocation reminds psychologists that naturalistic and longitudinal research on prejudice and stereotypes is an important complement to laboratory experiments.