Actions Speak Louder: Effects of Diagnostic Labels and Child Behavior on Perceptions of Children

It is widely believed that diagnostic labels have deleterious effects, but the empirical literature indicates that both negative and beneficial effects can occur with labeling. The present research was designed to untangle these mixed results and to test two hypotheses: (a) In the absence of other information about the child, a diagnostic label will elicit relatively negative attitudes from others. (b) When the child displays behavior that is deviant, labels will have relatively positive effects. In three experiments, college students were presented with no videotapes, videotapes of deviant child behavior, or videotapes of nondeviant child behavior, and the child was either labeled or not labeled. The results provided only minimal support for the two labeling hypotheses, but it was clearly demonstrated that the child's actions on the videotape had a powerful influence on subjects' ratings. The finding that behavior is a more potent determiner of person perception than is the presence or absence of a diagnostic label has practical clinical implications as well as theoretical implications with regard to labels, stereotypes, and the self-fulfilling prophecy.