Document Type
Article
Department/Program
Psychology
Journal Title
Plos One
Pub Date
2014
Volume
9
Issue
9
Abstract
The belief that ethnic majorities dominate ethnic minorities informs research on intergroup processes. This belief can lead to the social heuristic that the ethnic majority sets an upper limit that minority groups cannot surpass, but this possibility has not received much attention. In three studies of perceived income, we examined how this heuristic, which we term the White ceiling heuristic leads people to inaccurately estimate the income of a minority group that surpasses the majority. We found that Asian Americans, whose median income has surpassed White median income for nearly three decades, are still perceived as making less than Whites, with the least accurate estimations being made by people who strongly believe that Whites are privileged. In contrast, income estimates for other minorities were fairly accurate. Thus, perceptions of minorities are shaped both by stereotype content and a heuristic.
Recommended Citation
Martin, Chris C.; Nezlek, John B.; and Nezlek, John B., The White Ceiling Heuristic and the Underestimation of Asian-American Income (2014). Plos One, 9(9).
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108732
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108732
