Intersectional Person Perception: A Scoping Review of Studies Investigating the Roles of Category Relationships and Cognitive Processes

Abstract

This review considered experimental studies that used an intersectional framework in order to examine (1) how perceived relationship between the categories in a given intersection impacts the perception of its members and (2) how intersectional person perception has been studied through different cognitive processes. A systematic search in databases identified 5,393 records, and a screening processes resulted in 43 articles reporting 110 studies. The way intersectional targets were cognitively processed depended on contextual factors as well as on the perceived relationship between intersected identities (e.g., perceived [in-]congruence between identities). Less prototypical intersectional targets (e.g., Black gay men) sometimes experienced intersectional invisibility, facing both relative advantages (e.g., being less associated with certain negative stereotypes), and disadvantages (e.g., being overlooked, less recognized) compared to more prototypical members of their constituent ingroups (e.g., Black people, gay men). Future work should incorporate observed exceptions to these patterns and expand the cultural context of analysis.