Dehumanization of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST): Evidence from Implicit, Moderate, and Blatant Measures

Evidence for perceptual bias toward the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST)—a community historically oppressed and treated as untouchables in India—was found through a series of studies. We hypothesized that the SC/ST are perceived as less human in comparison to the dominant castes (General Category), leading to adverse consequences to the dehumanized group. Studies were designed to measure the effect of Caste on social perception by including participants belonging to General and SC/ST categories. Study 1 used an implicit association test and found that SC/ST are subjected to subtle dehumanization. Study 2 extended the findings using a moderately explicit measure of dehumanization and the results indicated biased perception of humanness in the SC/ST targets, albeit a valence effect. Study 3 demonstrated blatant dehumanization of SC/ST using an explicit measure. Overall the results indicate the dehumanization of the marginalized community that can have implications on attitudes and behaviors toward them.