The utility of open-ended measures to assess intergroup ambivalence

People who are ambivalent toward a group have attitudes that are based on conflicting positive and negative evaluations of the group (Katz & Hass, 1988; Olson & Zanna, 1993). The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate the utility of open-ended measures for assessing intergroup ambivalence. Forty-two Canadian undergraduates completed open-ended measures of stereotypes (beliefs about characteristics of group members), symbolic beliefs (beliefs that group members promote or threaten cherished values), and emotions, in order to determine their degree of ambivalence toward Native Peoples, French Canadians, Oriental Immigrants, and Canadians. They also completed an attitude measure assessing their overall evaluations of the groups. Examination and comparison of these measures revealed findings consistent with theoretical expectations, thus providing support for the open-ended measure of ambivalence. The advantages of the open-ended measure are discussed.