Models of deafness and attitudes towards the deaf: the mediating role of intergroup ideologies

• Main Author: Liu, Gigi Weiqi
• Other Authors: Wan Ching
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168387
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Models of deafness refer to individuals’ cognitions about the nature and treatment of deafness. The medical and social models of deafness, which emphasise the integration of deaf individuals into hearing society, are associated with less favourable attitudes towards the deaf compared to the cultural model, which emphasises the appreciation of Deaf culture. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are unknown. This study investigated the mediating roles of the multiculturalism and assimilation ideologies in the effects of models of deafness on attitudes towards the deaf. The multiculturalism ideology promotes recognition of cultural differences, while the assimilation ideology encourages the conformity of minority groups to the dominant culture. We hypothesised that the cultural model of deafness would lead to greater perceived competence of deaf individuals through greater endorsement of multiculturalism and lower endorsement of assimilation compared to the medical and social models. Hearing undergraduate students from Singapore were randomly assigned to read one of three articles which primed the medical, social and cultural models of deafness respectively. They subsequently completed measures of endorsement of multiculturalism and assimilation, followed by perceived competence and warmth of deaf individuals. Findings showed that multiculturalism was a significant mediator, but not assimilation, partially supporting our hypothesis. Specifically, the cultural model of deafness predicted greater endorsement of multiculturalism, which in turn led to greater perceived competence of deaf individuals compared to the medical model. Implications of these findings on the stereotyping and prejudice of deaf individuals will be discussed.