Intersectional Bias in First Impressions of Competence

The present research examines how intersecting social categories shape first impressions of competence, with a focus on perceptions of Black women. Across five studies (total N = 582), we tested whether competence judgments toward Black women reflect additive effects of race and gender stereotypes or arise from a distinct intersectional stereotype. In Studies 1–3, using mixed-category designs, participants consistently rated Black men and White women more positively than White men, but Black women did not receive these advantages, producing a robust intersectional attenuation. Studies 4–5 manipulated comparison context to test whether this attenuation was context-dependent. When cross-category comparisons were minimized (Study 4: single-axis gender; Study 5: between-subjects design), Black women’s evaluations partially improved but did not show a detectable pro-Black advantage. These findings are inconsistent with additive models of stereotyping but align with predictions of intersectional invisibility and, to some extent, the emergence model: Black women’s non-prototypical status reduces the activation of positive single-axis processes, and partial corrective processes can mitigate, but not fully eliminate this. Together, these studies demonstrate that intersectional disadvantage is context-dependent, emerging when multiple categories are simultaneously salient, and highlight the importance of considering both intersectional category membership and task structure in shaping first impressions.