Date of Graduation
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Psychological Science
Advisor/Mentor
Anastasia Makhanova
Committee Member
Mitch Brown
Second Committee Member
Ryan Chamberlain
Third Committee Member
Daniela D'Eugenio
Abstract
People are motivated to avoid pathogens because infection poses serious risks (e.g., illness, death). Pathogen avoidance often relies on indirect cues and stereotypes—like appearance or group membership—to identify potential pathogen threats. A large body of literature has linked pathogen avoidance to intergroup bias, but recent work suggests that this link may vary across social groups. In particular, pathogen avoidance may be more strongly associated with intergroup bias toward groups specifically linked to pathogen-specific stereotypes. The present study examined whether pathogen-specific stereotype endorsement moderates the relationship between pathogen avoidance and intergroup bias toward South Asians. A sample of 684 participants completed measures of pathogen avoidance and pathogen-specific stereotype endorsement of South Asians. Participants also completed a minimal group categorization task and a resume evaluation task to assess intergroup bias. Results showed that higher pathogen avoidance and greater pathogen-specific stereotype endorsement were each associated with greater outgroup categorization of South Asian targets (but not White targets). However, stereotype endorsement did not moderate the relationship between pathogen avoidance and intergroup bias, failing to support my hypothesis. Overall, these findings suggest that pathogen avoidance and stereotype endorsement may independently predict intergroup bias toward South Asians.
Keywords
pathogen avoidance; intergroup bias; pathogen-specific stereotypes; South Asians; prejudice
Citation
Dahiya, A. (2026). Avoiding Pathogens or Avoiding People? Pathogen Avoidance, Pathogen-Specific Stereotypes, and Intergroup Bias toward South Asians. Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/psycuht/93
