Stereotyping Among Graduate Students in Mental Health Fields: An EEG Study

Abstract

Counselors are obligated to work effectively with diverse groups, yet stereotyping and biases can impede counselors’ efforts. Understanding implicit processes in social cognition among counselors is important because implicit stereotyping and biases can negatively influence counselors’ work. Investigation of cognitive processes through electroencephalography (EEG) can illuminate implicit tendencies that potentially lead to microaggressions toward clients. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that graduate students in mental health fields would show indicators of stereotyping in a priming experiment that measured stereotyping implicitly. Both neural (N400 event-related potential component) and behavioral (reaction time) measures were used as indexes for stereotyping. The results showed neural and behavioral markers of stereotyping toward Black men and White women in a sample of graduate students in mental health fields composed of mostly White women. Implications for counseling practice and research are discussed.