Positive-Negative Asymmetry in the Evaluation of Trivial Stimuli

Abstract

The theory of the master status predicts that people who are seen as deviant in one respect come to be seen as deviant in other respects. American undergraduates filled out a questionnaire on which they were asked to attribute characteristics to two deviant (atheist and homosexual) and two nondeviant (Catholic and Republican) groups. It was found that the former groups were seen as lower class, extremely liberal, having had more permissive parents, more in need of counseling, using drugs more, less satisfied with various aspects of their lives, and as having less control over their lives. Furthermore, the respondents' own attitudes toward the deviant group or membership in the nondeviant group did not have an impact on how the groups were ranked in most instances. The results, then, provided strong support for the master status theory.