Labeling immigrants: Examining the effects of labels on associations toward immigrants

Immigrants in the United States are often described in the media using a variety of labels (e.g., illegal, authorized). While these labels are connected to an immigrant’s documented status within a nation, they can also evoke associations that dehumanize these groups and perpetuate stereotypes. Guided by framing and the stereotype content model, this research examines the effects of labels on associations about immigrants. Using a multi-study approach, results show that associations are quicker for some labels (illegal) and slower for others (authorized) (Study 1a), that exposure to positive labels produces more favorable associations than exposure to negative labels (Study 1b), and that the interaction of association type (warmth/morality vs. competence) with valence accounts for more variance in evaluations than labels, especially for negative valence (Study 2). The studies suggest a stronger influence of associations about warmth and morality compared to associations about an immigrant’s competence.