I like you more if I think you like me: the effect of metastereotypes on attitudes towards people with deafness

In the present paper we aimed at investigating the role of metastereotypes and gender on hearing people’s attitudes towards people with deafness. Ninety-six Italian hearing adults participated in a 2 X 2 experimental study. Participants were presented with the results of a fictitious but apparently real survey concerning opinions people with deafness have of hearing people. Metastereotypes (positive vs. negative) were manipulated through this presentation. Results showed that metastereotypes interacted with participants’ gender in determining their attitudes towards people with deafness: when positive metastereotypes were activated, women’s attitudes appeared more favourable towards people with deafness if compared to the negative metastereotypes condition. No effect of metastereotypes was observed among male participants. In conclusion, the activation of metastereotypes can be a useful means to intervene for improving attitudes towards people with deafness.