Stereotype content of disability subgroups - Testing predictions of the fundamental dimensions of social judgment

The present research concerns the stereotypes associated with subgroups of persons with disability. Building on the ambivalent nature of social judgment (Dubois & Beauvois, 2008; Fiske, Cuddy, Glick & Xu, 2002), we assessed the degree to which participants without disability (N = 210) differentiate among particular disability subgroups on scales reflecting personality traits. A principal-components analysis revealed that social judgment centers on three distinguishable factors: the two fundamental dimensions traditionally found, i.e. warmth and competence, and a third dimension, that we labelled courage. Results suggest that persons with disability are seen as less competent, but more warm and courageous than persons without disability. Moreover, we showed that people conceptualize disability at two levels: mental and physical disability. Persons with mental disability are viewed as less competent and less courageous than persons with physical disability. Implications of these stereotypes for understanding discriminatory behaviors against persons with disability are discussed.