Talking loudly but lazing at work-Behavioral effects of stereotypes are context dependent.

Recent research suggests that stereotype activation is context dependent. In the current research, we tested whether this context-dependence also generalizes to behavioral effects of stereotypes. Extending previous findings, we could show that activation of the category 'Italians' in a work context (but not in an interaction context) resulted in slow behavior (Experiment 1), whereas it increased the loudness of speech in an interaction context (but not in a work context; Experiment 2). Our results further strengthen the notion of context-specific mental representations of stereotypes. Stereotypic attributes become activated and exert their influence on behavior in close correspondence with the current situation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]