LABEL-MEDIATED HOSTILITY GENERALIZATION

Trained 60 male undergraduates to have a negative attitude toward a critical name, using the A. Staats and C. Staats (see 33:4) conditioning procedure. Semantic differential ratings demonstrated the success of the conditioning. Following this, 1/2 of the Ss were deliberately angered by the E, and then all went to a 2nd study in which they discussed an issue with 2 other men, 1 of whom bore the critical name. Ratings indicated that the Ss had been more hostile to the critically named confederate. The Ss' evaluations of their discussion partners' personalities showed: (1) a judgmental contrast effect, as if the 2 confederates were favorably contrasted with the obnoxious 1st E; and (2) a name-mediated hostility generalization. Unlike the nonthwarted Ss, the angered Ss were significantly more unfriendly to the negatively named confederate. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.