Student Research Spotlight: Warmth and Competency Stereotypes Amid Pacific Islanders from America and Pacific Islanders from the Pacific Islands

Seini Cassandra Ita

Warmth and Competency Stereotypes Amid Pacific Islanders from America and Pacific Islanders from the Pacific Islands

Could you tell the difference between Pacific Islanders who are from the Pacific Islands and Pacific Islanders from mainland America?  Although people with common ethnicity look alike, there seems to be a difference in the way we perceive people without realizing it.  Warmth and competency are two characteristics that we perceive in others.  Lee and Fiske (2006) found that immigrants are often viewed as having low warmth and competency.  Warmth is the functionality in social relations which includes qualities like friendliness, sincerity, kindness, and warmth.  Competence is the functionality of tasks which includes capability, efficiency, and competency.  How have you perceived these characteristics in others?

Seini Ita, recent graduate of BYU-Hawaii wanted to investigate how different cultures will perceive Pacific Islanders based on where the perceived individual grew up.  She was inspired after reading an article from Sister Ram about Polynesian stereotypes in New Zealand.  This was a topic of interest for Seini as she worked in Institutional Research on campus.

109 American/European, 46 Asian, 43 Pacific Islander, and 16 Hawaiian participants were recruited through direct face-to-face recruitment.  Participants completed a survey on competence and warmth of 10 different photographs of male Polynesians which included their age, home area, ethnicity, and work experience.

What prepared you the most for this study?

"Definitely my work in institutional research as well as the other research groups on campus.  One of the most challenging but rewarding classes was Psych 305.  It humbled me and prepared me to conduct a thorough study on something I was interested in."

Findings were significant! American participants perceived Polynesians from the Pacific Islands as lower in competency but higher in warmth than Polynesians from Mainland America.  Similarly participants form Hawaii perceived Polynesians from the Pacific Islands as being higher in warmth. There was no difference however in how the Polynesians from Pacific Islands perceived other Polynesians.  Home area nor ethnicity of Pacific Islanders affected the perception of warmth and competency of other Pacific Islanders.

How did it feel when you finished your project?

"I was really anxious and kept thinking about all the things wrong with my project.  Thankfully, I was able to take that and apply it to my project.  I felt like I was pretending to know what I was talking about, until I started my presentation and realized how much I did know about this topic.  My anxiousness was overcome with relief and gratitude.  I realized no one know knew my project more than me."

Seini plans to continue on with school in geriatric psychology or continue with data analyses because of her work as an Institutional Research Assistant.  You can see Seini's study in more detail, including statistical test results, by viewing her project poster here.