Reframing Africa’s Image
Positive Information Outperforms Stereotype Negation in Changing Explicit Negative Evaluations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23311565 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ashley Hahn (0000-0002-2232-4976, University of Bath), Thomas Moran (0000-0002-4681-0725, Open University of Israel), Ilerioluwa Akinnola (University of Florida), Iniobong Essien (0000-0003-0277-7908, Leuphana University of Lüneburg), Marleen Stelter (0000-0001-6546-0946, FernUniversität in Hagen), Faith Adeyemi (University of Bath), Colin Tucker Smith (0000-0002-8132-9988, University of Florida) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-21 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Psychological and Personality Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1948-5506 • E-ISSN: 1948-5514 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/19485506261465709 |
| OpenAlex | W7169836219 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 28 |
People often counteract unwanted stereotypes by stating they are false, known as stereotype negation, but is this effective? The current work applies evaluative learning theories to Western portrayals of Africa, which are dominated by negative stereotypes around poverty, backwardness, and harsh nature. In four preregistered experiments, U.S. participants read statements about Africa that were framed either as positive facts (PFs) or as negated negative stereotypes (NNSs). Compared to controls, PFs reliably reduced preferences for Europe over Africa in general evaluations (Studies 1–4) and behavioral intentions (Studies 3–4). NNSs also reduced preferences but inconsistently and less strongly. Process analyses showed that PF-NNS differences were driven by lower perceived positivity of NNSs than PFs (Studies 2–4) and that NNSs showed lower relationships with preferences than PFs (Studies 1–3), suggesting that negations may be processed less deeply. These studies demonstrate that reframing through positive information is more effective than negating negative stereotypes.
Attribution · Cognitive reframing · Negation · Negative information · Social cognition · Stereotype (UML) · Stereotype threat · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Cultural Differences and Values · Social and Intergroup Psychology
G*Power 3
The Bidirectional Causal Relation Between Implicit Stereotypes and Implicit Prejudice
The Meta–Cognitive Model (MCM) of Attitudes
An Individual Difference Measure of Motivation to Control Prejudiced Reactions
Associative and propositional processes in evaluation
Implicit measures
Just say no! (and mean it)
Not good” is “bad,” but “not bad” is not “good”
How do explicit and implicit evaluations shift? A preregistered meta-analysis of the effects of co-occurrence and relational information
At the boundaries of automaticity
Stereotyping and evaluation in implicit race bias
A matter of flexibility
When “Just Say No” is not enough
I am not guilty” vs “I am innocent”
Belief Echoes
You can't not believe everything you read
The negation bias
Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition
A metacognitive approach to "implicit" and "explicit" evaluations
The Insta-Gaze
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |