2. Stereotypes and Prejudice

Question 1

Define stereotypes

Answer 1

generalized beliefs about a group

often their characteristics e.g., traits, intelligence

Question 2

define prejudice

Answer 2

biased evaluations (good-bad) of a group and its members (“pre-judging”)

Question 3

define discrimination

Answer 3

differential behaviour towards a group and its members

usually refers to negative behaviour

Question 4

What is the typical working model of stereotypes and prejudice

Answer 4

stereotypes lead to prejudice
prejudice leads to discrimination

OR

Stereotypes come from prejudice and prejudice comes from discrimination

Question 5

what are the components of stereotypes?

Answer 5

Traits: e.g., skilled, friendly

Roles: e.g., decision-maker, emotional support provider

Physical characteristics: e.g., strong, pretty

Occupations: e.g., firefighter, teacher

Question 6

What are implicit stereotypes?

Answer 6

Associations we may be unaware of or outwardly deny we hold
e.g., associate men with science and women with humanities
Can also reflect implicit prejudice: “unconscious bias”
e.g., associate “good” with the young and “bad” with the old

Question 7

When having an association does not lead to prejudice or discrimination what may it suggest?

Answer 7

Having an association does not always mean being prejudiced, or lead to discrimination
May reflect exposure to stereotypes/prejudice in society

Question 8

are stereotypes valid?

Answer 8

Groups differ in real ways
e.g., practices, norms, beliefs
stereotypes may contain “grains of truth”

Question 9

what are the weaknesses of stereotypes?

Answer 9

over-generalisation

motivated reasoning

Question 10

define over-generalisation

Answer 10

applied to ALL group members

where exceptions occur, ignore these or “bracket them off” (subtyping)

Question 11

define motivated reasoning

Answer 11

invoke particular stereotypes to justify group treatment

e.g., stereotyping to justify poor treatment
stereotypes may lead to
biased hypothesis testing and self-fulfilling prophecies

Question 12

define biased hypothesis testing

Answer 12

we look for information that confirms stereotype

Question 13

define self-fulfilling prophecies

Answer 13

our actions contribute to stereotyped behaviour

Stereotype employee as lazy –> treat employee as lazy –> employee motivation and performance declines –> employee actually becomes lazy –> stereotype employee as lazy

Question 14

what was the stereotype example provided in the lecture

Answer 14

women in gaming

Stereotypes: men’s and women’s capacities and interests

Prejudiced attitudes:
Men = interested in and good at games
Women = not interested in and bad at games

Discrimination:
women’s fewer job opportunities
greater workplace harassment

Broader influence on society:
industry practices and outcomes (e.g., lost economic opportunities)
product development and marketing (which games get made)
greater social inequality

Question 15

is discrimination valid?

Answer 15

Often easier to interact/exchange with in-group members than with outgroup members
for outgroups, we may need to understand and negotiate different rules and expectations

Question 16

how do in-group biases undermine benefits to society?

Answer 16

power differentials, marginalised groups, stratified society
lose access to useful ideas and perspectives

Discrimination may contrast with other cultural values
e.g., in Australia: equality and tolerance

Question 17

what is the social identity perspective to discrimination?

Answer 17

Our group memberships contribute to how we feel about ourselves (self-esteem or positive self-regard)
Group memberships are defined in relation to other groups
“in-group” implies “outgroup”
a specific comparison group (e.g., Australians v. New Zealanders)
a more general “not us”
We favour in-groups over outgroups
good in-group outcomes contribute to our positive self-regard
findings in real settings are mixed-we don’t always favour in-groups

Question 18

what are the intergroup approaches to reducing prejudice?

Answer 18

Changing group interactions and boundaries:

Contact hypothesis
Social identity approach
Interdependence

Question 19

what are the individual approaches to reducing prejudice?

Answer 19

Target prejudiced beliefs and emotions:

Counter-stereotypes
Awareness raising
Perspective-taking
Normative influence
Dissonance
Self-affirmation

Question 20

What are the intergroup approaches to reducing prejudice?

Answer 20

The Contact Hypothesis (Allport, 1954)

Having members of antagonistic groups interact

Optimal conditions of contact:
Equal status between groups
Common goals
Intergroup cooperation/no competition context
Support of legitimate authorities, laws or customs

Question 21

What is the contact hypothesis?

Answer 21

Review of research (Pettigrew, 1998)
prejudice reduction is greatest when all conditions present
some reduction is achieved when only some conditions present
the potential to become friends with outgroup members is an additional contact condition

Question 22

what are the extensions of the contact hypothesis?

Answer 22

Extended contact

Imagined contact

Question 23

what is a social identity approach?

Answer 23

decategorisation
recategorisation
cross categorisation
Integration

Question 24

define decategorisation

Answer 24

downplay group identity and focus on individual identity

Get people to think about individuals rather than groups
Personal ID

We may reduce our own prejudice but we may be less aware of the broader prejudice that endures
Structural disadvantages

Question 25

define recatetorisation

Answer 25

downplay separate group identities by focusing on shared superordinate group

Question 26

define cross categorisation

Answer 26

identify shared/common characteristics and identities

Question 27

define integration

Answer 27

recognize both group differences and commonalities

Question 28

define interdependence

Answer 28

people can overcome prejudice in the short-term when their own outcomes depend on it
e.g., performing on a joint work-task
repeated experiences over time can change long-term prejudiced views

Question 29

define counter-stereotypes

Answer 29

Present different, non-stereotypical images of group members
highlight group members who don’t fit stereotypes
highlight activities common in group that don’t fit stereotypes

Question 30

define awareness raising

Answer 30

Make people aware of their own stereotypes or prejudice

Tell people to suppress stereotypes (often counterproductive)

Tell people to remember their past prejudiced behaviour
can induce guilt and hence willingness to repair relationships

Make people aware of stereotypes they take for granted…

Question 31

define perspective taking

Answer 31

Encourage understanding of experiences of other groups

Question 32

define normative influence

Answer 32

conveying that prejudice against target is not normative for a relevant in-group
conveying general norms for tolerance in in-group

Question 33

define dissonance

Answer 33

Highlight how their prejudice is inconsistent with their other views and actions
e.g., after being required to write a statement in favour of pro-black policies, white participants weakened anti-black attitudes

Question 34

define self-affirmation

Answer 34

increased self worth
When people feel good about themselves they’ll be less likely to derogate others
People given feedback that they were intelligent made more positive attributions about a Jewish job candidate

Question 35

what are intervention strategies?

Answer 35

they vary in their focus
includes:
public communication
interactions between prejudice agents/targets
targeting prejudiced group members

Question 36

public communication (media) as an intervention strategy

Answer 36

entertainment (e.g., sit-coms, performances)

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Question 37

interactions between prejudice agents/targets as an intervention strategy

Answer 37

joint activities

Question 38

Targeting prejudiced group members as an intervention strategy

Answer 38

perspective taking interventions
cultural awareness and diversity training
one-on-one (conversations, counselling)