Imagining people acting against stereotypes has what effect on prejudice?

• A. Increases prejudice
• B. Reduces prejudice
• C. Has no effect
• D. Makes stereotypes more rigid

Answer: (B)

Imagining people acting against stereotypes challenges automatic beliefs and lowers prejudice. When you picture someone from a stigmatized group behaving in ways that contradict the stereotype, you provide a concrete counterexample that expands how you view that group. This makes the group seem more variable and reduces reliance on generalizations, promoting more individuated processing. Over time, this mental rehearsal can soften attitudes and reduce biased judgments, at least in the short term. The other options don’t fit this effect because this approach introduces counterexamples that weaken stereotypes instead of reinforcing them, producing no change, or increasing bias.