Dilution of stereotype-based cooperation in mixed-motive interdependence

Expanded the finding that nondiagnostic information about a target reduces the impact of stereotypes on person perception and social judgment by examining this dilution effect in settings of mixed- motive outcome-interdependence and by studying stereotype-based cognition as well as cooperative behavior. Three experiments involving a total of 250 undergraduates and employing Prisoner's and Chicken Dilemma Games revealed that people cooperate less when category information suggests that the other is competitive and immoral rather than cooperative and honest, but not when nondiagnostic attribute information is added. Exp 3 showed that people try to interpret attribute information as consistent with their stereotype-based beliefs; dilution occurs only when it is impossible to construe attribute information as consistent with the stereotype."