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Subtle Perceptual Dehumanization of Victimized Groups: The Visual Victim Dehumanization Hypothesis

See, Pirita E.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1406288607

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Psychology.
The current work explores the visual victim dehumanization hypothesis, according to which visual representations of facial prototypes of victimized (vs. non-victimized) groups are dehumanized (i.e., rated as having a reduced extent of humanlike traits, emotions, and capabilities). Building on recent conceptualizations of subtle forms of dehumanization (Haslam, 2006; Leyens et al., 2000) and biases in visual representations of facial prototypes (Dotsch, Wigboldus, Langner, & van Knippenberg, 2008), two studies investigated the above prediction, using the reverse correlation paradigm. Across hundreds of trials, participants selected face images that they believed more closely resembled a member of either a victimized or a non-victimized group, about which they had just learned. The selected images were averaged, and these averaged faces were rated by a separate set of participants on the extent to which they appeared to exhibit various dimensions of humanness. The results of Study 1 indicated preliminary evidence of visual victim dehumanization. Study 1 also showed that facial representations of the victimized group were rated higher on negative dimensions of humanness and elicited less willingness to help than facial representations of the non-victimized group. In Study 2, perceivers manipulated to feel heightened empathy for the victimized group created facial representations that were rated as appearing less humanlike, but that elicited more willingness to help than the facial representations of perceivers in the control group. This work demonstrates that subtle victim dehumanization can take on visual forms in face perception and suggests that motivational factors can influence this biased visualization.
Kurt Hugenberg, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Allen McConnell, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Jonathan Kunstman, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Monica Schneider, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
115 p.
Social Psychology
dehumanization, face processing, victimization, social cognition

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • See, P. E. (2014). Subtle Perceptual Dehumanization of Victimized Groups: The Visual Victim Dehumanization Hypothesis [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1406288607

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • See, Pirita. Subtle Perceptual Dehumanization of Victimized Groups: The Visual Victim Dehumanization Hypothesis . 2014. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1406288607.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • See, Pirita. "Subtle Perceptual Dehumanization of Victimized Groups: The Visual Victim Dehumanization Hypothesis ." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1406288607

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami1406288607
424
© 2014, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.