The effect of in-group out-group status on memory for consistent and inconsistent behavior of an individual

Research has demonstrated better memory for behavior inconsistent with an expectation when the target is an individual. When the target is a group, consistent information is better recalled than inconsistent or irrelevant. In this study, the target was an individual but the expectation derived from his or her membership in a social (gender) group. Mention of the target's gender was sufficient to evoke the gender stereotype, resulting in better memory for gender-inconsistent than consistent items, but only when the target was a member of the gender out-group. The explanation proposed is that low variability is expected among out-group members, rendering inconsistent behaviors particularly surprising. Individuals who perceived the target's gender group more stereotypically showed a marginally reliable tendency to better recall the inconsistent behaviors Impressions of the target were driven by the target's gender and were largely unrelated to the contents of memory.