Einladung zum Kolloquium

Existing research has explored the differences between the way people think about groups that are essentialized (e.g., groups based on race, gender or sexual orientation) and groups that are not essentialized (e.g., the set of all people who are now residents of the state of Virginia). But what exactly is it that makes people essentialize some groups and not others? One possible suggestion would be that groups are only essentialized when group membership is seen as having a biological basis. I will be providing experimental evidence for a broader understanding of psychological essentialism, on which essentialism can sometimes be a matter of associating a category with a deeper value. On this understanding, people can also essentialize groups that are not seen as having a biological basis (e.g., groups like Christians or Muslims).