Editing Counterstereotype (section)

== Applications ==
Stereotypes play a major role in daily life, and can affect one’s judgement and behaviour without conscious awareness. Once stereotypes are established, they can be difficult to change, as the brain will fit information per an existing stereotype. This can manifest by changes in perception of skin tone or facial emotion expression.<ref name=":5">{{Citation |last1=Moskowitz |first1=Gordon B. |title=Major Themes in the History of Social Cognition |date=2024-08-21 |work=The Oxford Handbook of Social Cognition, Second Edition |pages=20–68 |editor-last=Carlston |editor-first=Donal E. |url=https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/58080/chapter/478597739 |access-date=2025-03-10 |edition=2 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197763414.013.2 |isbn=978-0-19-776341-4 |last2=Okten |first2=Irmak Olcaysoy |editor2-last=Hugenberg |editor2-first=Kurt |editor3-last=Johnson |editor3-first=Kerri L.|url-access=subscription }}</ref> A lot of the misattribution is due to the lack of accurate information. This can arise from not receiving proper education on a subject or failures in memory.<ref name=":5" /> When there are gaps in knowledge, the brain uses stereotypes and biases to fill in the gaps, especially if these implicit biases are accessible.<ref name=":5" /> Counterstereotypes can play a role in updating memories that form these biases. By presenting counter-examples, people can reappraise their views as well as reconsolidate the memory traces related to the pre-existing stereotypes.<ref name=":5" />

Countersterotypes have been applied in research as an intervention to change implicit biases. It has been shown that simply negating a stereotype does not reduce implicit biases.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=Jennifer Y. |last2=Roberson |first2=Loriann |date=March 2022 |title=I'm biased and so are you. What should organizations do? A review of organizational implicit-bias training programs. |url=https://doi.apa.org/doi/10.1037/cpb0000211 |journal=Consulting Psychology Journal |language=en |volume=74 |issue=1 |pages=19–39 |doi=10.1037/cpb0000211 |issn=1939-0149|url-access=subscription }}</ref> By presenting counterstereotypical exemplars, some research has found a short-term reduction in stereotypes.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=FitzGerald |first1=Chloë |last2=Martin |first2=Angela |last3=Berner |first3=Delphine |last4=Hurst |first4=Samia |date=December 2019 |title=Interventions designed to reduce implicit prejudices and implicit stereotypes in real world contexts: a systematic review |journal=BMC Psychology |language=en |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=29 |doi=10.1186/s40359-019-0299-7 |doi-access=free |issn=2050-7283 |pmc=6524213 |pmid=31097028}}</ref> It was successful in reducing bias by linking in-group members with negativity and out-group members with positivity, or by presenting counterstereotypical exemplars that participants strongly identified with.<ref name=":4" /> Interactions with a stereotyped out-group aid individuals in forming their own counterstereotypical exemplars. By forming positive relationships with out-group members, individuals form positive attitudes towards them and reduce implicit biases previously formed by stereotypes.<ref name=":3" />

These techniques have been applied to many different stereotypes. In the medical field, researchers focus on reducing implicit biases. Many biases come in conflict of quality of care, with people of a certain age, weight, gender, race, and socio-economic status receiving lower quality of care.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=FitzGerald |first1=Chloë |last2=Hurst |first2=Samia |date=December 2017 |title=Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review |journal=BMC Medical Ethics |language=en |volume=18 |issue=1 |page=19 |doi=10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8 |doi-access=free |issn=1472-6939 |pmc=5333436 |pmid=28249596}}</ref> Interventions have not been useful in reducing healthcare workers’ implicit biases toward patients with a certain weight.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jayawickrama |first1=Ravisha S. |last2=Hill |first2=Briony |last3=O'Connor |first3=Moira |last4=Flint |first4=Stuart W. |last5=Hemmingsson |first5=Erik |last6=Ellis |first6=Lucy R. |last7=Du |first7=Yaxing |last8=Lawrence |first8=Blake J. |date=February 2025 |title=Efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing explicit and implicit weight bias in healthcare students: A systematic review and meta-analysis |journal=Obesity Reviews |language=en |volume=26 |issue=2 |pages=e13847 |doi=10.1111/obr.13847 |issn=1467-7881 |pmc=11711078 |pmid=39379318}}</ref> In educational settings, counterstereotype interventions have been used to counteract the effects of gender stereotypes. Math performance by women improved when the test administrators were women competent in math, and more female students enrol in STEM subjects when female role models are presented.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Giusta |first1=Marina Della |last2=Bosworth |first2=Steven |date=2020-12-31 |title=Bias and discrimination: what do we know? |url=https://academic.oup.com/oxrep/article/36/4/925/6124290 |journal=Oxford Review of Economic Policy |language=en |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=925–943 |doi=10.1093/oxrep/graa045 |issn=0266-903X}}</ref>

Besides counterstereotypic exemplars, other interventions to implicit biases are often examined, such as [[perspective-taking]], stereotype replacement, [[Individuation|individuating]], and [[evaluative conditioning]].<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />