When “Sometimes” Means “Often”: How Stereotypes Affect Interpretations of Quantitative Expressions

Two experiments investigated whether interpretations of quantitative expressions about described actors’ behaviors are influenced by stereotypic expectancies. Participants rated sentences containing frequency adverbs describing either stereotype-consistent or stereotype-inconsistent behaviors. Results showed that recipients inferred a higher numerical frequency when sentences described stereotype-consistent (vs inconsistent) behaviors. These effects of stereotype consistency were stronger for high (vs low) degree frequency adverbs. The findings show how neutral statements about a person can be interpreted as stereotype-confirming information and thus contribute to stereotype maintenance.