Understanding the complexities of group perception: broadening the domain

Recent developments in the study of group perception have been guided by four concepts: homogeneity, essentialism, agency, and entitativity. Research on these topics has broadened the scope of questions asked, issues studied, and explanatory mechanisms that are important in the perception of groups. This article summarizes each concept, discusses its contribution to understanding group perception, and highlights unresolved questions that need investigation. Possible conceptual interpretations of the relations among these concepts and their relationship to stereotyping are then discussed.