Modifying the Prematurity Stereotype: The Effects of Information on Negative Perceptions of Infants

Previous research has found that adults rate infants who are described as having been born prematurely more negatively than infants who are described as having been born at full-term. The present study experimentally explored the effects on this prematurity stereotype of providing 50 female undergraduates with different types of information about prematurity. Subjects in one condition received information that stressed differences between premature and full-term infants, subjects in another condition received information that stressed similarities between premature and full-term infants, and subjects in the third condition received no information. The subjects then were shown videotapes of full-term infants. The infants who were labeled premature were rated more negatively than the infants who were labeled full-term on numerous rating dimensions by subjects in the Differences Stressed condition, on several rating dimensions by subjects in the No Information condition, and on no rating dimensions by subjects in the Similarities Stressed condition. These results support the effectiveness of intervention in mitigating the negative content of the prematurity stereotype.