RESEARCH ARTICLES Stereotypes of Latinos and Whites: Do They Guide Evaluations in Diverse Work Groups?

We examined whether stereotypes of Latinos as less warm and less competent than Whites guided perceptions of individuals in interacting work groups. Both Whites and Latinos rated Latino group members as lower in competence and warmth than White group members. This occurred in work groups with a majority of White members as well as in work groups with a majority of Latino members. The most favorable ratings were received by solo Whites in majority Latino groups, whereas the least favorable ratings were received by solo Latinos in majority White groups. Implications and future directions for research are discussed. Latinos 1 represent one of the fastest growing ethnic minority populations in the United States. Latinos make up 14% of the employed population (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007). Forty-four percent of the growth in the nation's population between 2000 and 2020 is expected to be Latino (Therrien & Ramirez, 2000). How Latinos are perceived in the United States affects how they are treated and what opportunities and out- comes they have in this country. It is important to understand how Whites perceive Latinos, as Whites remain the dominant ethnic group in the United States. It is also important to under- stand how Latinos perceive themselves, as in-group perceptions can have a profound impact on individual and group outcomes. This study examines how Latinos and Whites are evaluated by their group members in face-to-face groups. We examine whether Latinos are seen as less competent and less warm than Whites, consistent with stereotypes (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002), and whether Whites and Latinos agree on these evaluations. This study contributes to an understanding of ethnic stereotyping by acknowledging that stereo- types of Latinos may differ from those for other ethnic minority groups. This study also contributes to an understanding of diversity in work groups by focusing on interactions between Latinos and Whites specifically (Williams & O'Reilly, 1998).