4.2 - Attitude Formation & Attitude Change Flashcards
- Stereotypes
a generalized belief about a group, applied to every member of a group (people from WI drink too much)
- Implicit attitudes
prejudice is automatic/unconscious/implicit. People were more likely to misperceive a tool as a gun when preceded by an African-American face
- Prejudice (pre-judge)
a preconceived, unjustified (usually negative) attitude toward a group (and its members). the “isms” (racism, sexism)
- Discrimination
unjustified behavior selectively applied to members of a group (putting Japanese people in camps during ww2)
- Just-World Phenomenon
believing that justice generally happens, that people get the benefits and punishments they deserve.
(implication: if people are rich, they must earned it, if people are poor, they must not have deserved better) (believing that justice happens, can lead to blaming victim)
- Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
we often think other groups (out-group) are more similar (homogeneity) and our in-group is more diverse.
- In-Group Bias
favoring ones own group and misjudging other groups. we often think other groups (outgroup) are more similar (homogenetiy
- Ethnocentrism
the tendency to favor ones culture, self centered to ones culture. (US is a superior place to live compared to other places)
- Belief perseverance
holding onto your ideas over time, and actively rejecting information that contradicts your ideas (less internal mental conflict, but more social conflict) (politics)
- Confirmation bias
not bothering to seek out information that contradicts your ideas; searching for information to support your previous views. (enables quick solutions, but misses finding out when first guesses are wrong) (only looking for boys being naughty on the playground if you think they are more likely to be troublemakers)
- Cognitive Dissonance
The idea that people will experience tension when one’s behavior is inconsistent with her/her actions. To resolve this dissonance, we often change our attitudes to fit our actions (if we have already done the behavior).
(drug use—you may think it is bad in childhood, but say something like “everyone tries it once to justify its use”)
