1- Introduction

Question 1

1- Intergroup relations

Answer 1

Intergroup Relations: Any aspect of human interaction
that involves individuals perceiving themselves as
members of a social category, or being perceived by others as belonging to a social category

Question 2

2- Key Definitions

Answer 2

Affect= Prejudice:
An attitude (favor/disfavor)
toward a group
Prejudice: attitudes toward people based solely on their group
o Can be overt or hidden
o Can be positive or negative
Cognition= Stereotypes:
A belief about a group of people
Stereotypes: Beliefs about a group of people (e.g., attributes, characteristics, typical behaviors)
o Cognitive
o Generalization (extending beyond known group members)
o Three key aspects:
* Shared, cultural belief
* Accuracy*
*Descriptive and prescriptive
Behavior= Discrimination:
Behaviors directed toward
people on the basis of
their group membership
Discrimination: Behaviors directed toward people on the basis of their group membership
o Can be:
*Interpersonal
*Organizational
*Institutional
* Cultural

Question 3

3- Levels at Which Intergroup Relations Operate

Answer 3

-Systems and Institutions
-Groups & Organizations
-Interpersonal Interactions
-Individual Minds
(last two= areas where psychology has the most to say)
The levels are mutually constitutive

Inequality within Systems and Institutions
men and women bathrooms, “whites here, colored here”, defense of marriage act
-Institutional Discrimination: When norms, policies, and practices associated with
an institution result in different outcomes on the basis of a group distinction.
Ex: amount of cocaine needed for 5 year prison sentence: 5 grams for crack cocaine, 500 grams for powder cocaine. But crack cocaine= 82% black people vs. 18% white people…..
so targets black people

Group-Based Discrimination
* Groups & Organizations
o Groups as the level-of-analysis
- How groups interact with each other
- The impact of social movements
- The dominant focus in sociology
Organizational Discrimination: When norms, policies, and practices associated with an
organization result in different outcomes on the basis of a group distinction.
Ex: dreadlocks banned from school… affects only black people

Interpersonal Discrimination
- Interpersonal Discrimination: When one person treats another person
differently on the basis of their group membership.

Discrimination Within Individual Minds
* Individual Minds
- Personalities
- Perceptions
- Beliefs
- Identity

Question 4

4- Cultural Practices That Reinforce Inequality

Answer 4

Inequality and discrimination can be embedded into regular cultural practices
Ex: children’s toys that promote certain gender roles, black women photoshopped to look lighter in pictures, cleopatra played by very white woman…

Cultural Capital
Social assets of a person that promote social mobility.
Biased hiring algorithms example: Jared + played Lacrosse in high school
Value obtained from interpersonal relationships and social networks.
Hiring profs from certain unis (see image)

Question 5

5- Outcomes

Answer 5

Disparate Outcomes at Multiple Levels
Ex:
-Women’s earnings drop significantly after having a child. Men’s don’t.
-Having a kid correlates with lower earnings for women
-Having kids doesn’t affect men’s salaries

Some Contributors to the Motherhood Wage Gap
Individual: Bosses may think that new mothers (versus new fathers) are less committed to their careers.
Interpersonal: Job discrimination against mothers.
o Mothers are perceived as less competent and offered lower starting salary or passed over in promotions.
Cultural Norms: Mothers are the cultural default for childcare.
Organizational/Institutional: Workplaces do not accommodate childcare.

Question 6

Relationship Between Prejudice, Stereotypes,
Discrimination

Answer 6

Not like one leads to the other.
They all interact.

Prejudice ↔ Stereotyping
Selective Exposure: Tendency to selectively seek information that reinforces one’s attitudes, while selectively avoiding
information that contradicts one’s attitudes

Prejudice/Stereotyping ↔ Discrimination
Prejudices and stereotypes work together to justify discrimination.

Discrimination to Prejudice/Stereotyping
Self-fulfilling Prophecy:
1. People have an expectation about what a person or group is like
2. Which influences how they act toward that person
3. Which causes the person to behave consistently with the expectation
4. Which makes the expectation come true
5. Which provides “proof” that the original expectation was correct
Study:
Snyder, Tanke, & Berscheid, 1977
* Men and women had a casual phone conversation
* Men were randomly assigned to receive an attractive or unattractive photo of the woman beforehand
* Coders independently rated the woman’s recording.
* Women who were thought to be attractive were perceived to be:
o More sociable, warm, interesting, independent,
outgoing, funny

Summary
The three psychological processes that are the largest focus of research in
intergroup relations are prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination.
These processes can operate at the level of individual minds, interpersonal
interactions, a group or organization, or an institution.
These levels are “mutually constitutive”, in that they influence each other,
but psychology focuses mostly on the first two.