Categorisation Accentuation

Categorisation Accentuation

Reviewed by Faisal Zaidi

The tendency for items sorted into classes to look more alike within a class and further apart between classes when the classes follow a real dimension.

What it is

Tajfel and Wilkes asked people to judge the length of lines. When a label followed the length scale, lines in different classes were judged further apart than in an unlabelled series, while labels unrelated to length had no such effect. The authors connected the finding to stereotyping.

In effect

In the article on social identity theory, it is the classic finding the theory grew from.

What it does not say

The study concerned physical judgments. It does not by itself show how people judge other people.

Sources

  1. Tajfel, H., & Wilkes, A. L. (1963). Classification and quantitative judgement. British Journal of Psychology, 54(2), 101-114.