Conflict Monitoring and the Control of Prejudice

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the proposed research is to investigate mechanisms involved in the inhibition of prejudice and stereotypes. We are specifically interested in how implicitly activated stereotypical and prejudicial associations are detected so that their influences may be subsequently inhibited. An overarching goal of the proposed research is to integrate cognitive neuroscience models of conflict monitoring and cognitive control with models and findings on the successful inhibition of prejudice and stereotypes. Ultimately, we hope to develop a comprehensive understanding of how individuals manage their reactions when encountering members of different social groups so as to inhibit the effects of prejudice and stereotypes. This knowledge should increase our ability to design interventions and strategies to block the negative consequences of prejudice and stereotyping. The proposed studies will assess the role of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and areas of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in detecting prejudice and stereotypes using neuroimaging and scalp-recorded event-related brain potentials. We will specifically examine the extent to which group members and category labels implicitly activate evaluative and stereotypical responses that conflict with non-prejudicial representations, and the degree to which this conflict is detected by the ACC and PFC. We will also examine the role of ACC and PFC mediated conflict monitoring systems in producing successful inhibition of stereotypes.