Unequal Assistance: The Role of Appearance Stereotype-Confirmation in the Racial Gap in Help Received

Meta-analytic evidence on Black–White differences in help received (i.e., interpersonal aid toward goal attainment) has shown that differences are not simple, but rather depend on situational factors. Consistent with theory on motivated social cognition, the presence of nonracial situational factors (e.g., emergency, cost involved) that allow individuals to justify discriminating against Black targets consistently produced significant Black–White differences. To examine the generality of these findings to individual characteristics (i.e., stereotype-confirming appearance cues), we use nationally representative archival survey data predicting perceived coworker support ( N = 2,317) and a naturalistic field experiment predicting prospective train passenger assistance ( N = 341). Results suggest Black–White differences in help received are more pronounced when prospective beneficiaries exhibit visible racial stereotype-confirming characteristics (i.e., lazy, unprofessional) that justify helping less (or not at all).