The Blond, The Dumb and the Ugly: Does Self-Stereotyping Mediate Prime-to-Behavior Effects?

Prime-to-behavior effects are hypothesized to result from prime-related changes in the self-concept. We tested whether both assimilation and contrast would occur after prime-congruent and prime-incongruent changes in the self-concept. We showed that blond stereotype priming and self-construal interact to influence self-stereotyping and intellectual performance. Independent-blond primed participants displayed a contrast effect as they self-stereotyped less and performed better whereas interdependent-blond primed participants did not display a significant assimilation effect. Analyses did not support the mediating role of self-stereotyping. We discuss the implications of these results for prime-to-behavior mechanisms.