When Motivated Thought Leads to Heightened Bias: High Need for Cognition Can Enhance the Impact of Stereotypes on Memory

Abstract

Four studies explored the relationship between need for cognition (the tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking) and memory for stereotype-consistent and stereotype-neutral information. The data from all four studies showed that participants who were high in need for cognition remembered more stereotype-consistent information than participants who were low in need for cognition. Judgment data collected in Experiment 4 indicated that despite this memory difference, the judgments of those low in need for cognition were more influenced by stereotypes than the judgments of those who were high in need for cognition. These results suggest that stereotypes affect the cognitive processes of both those who are cognitively lazy and those who are cognitively active, but these stereotypes manifest themselves in different ways for individuals who differ in their level of need for cognition.