CH 11 Prejudice Flashcards
What is prejudice?
Prejudice = Negative feelings about someone just because they belong to a group.
Stereotype = A belief that everyone in a group is the same.
Discrimination = Treating people unfairly because of their group.
Where does prejudice come from?
Social learning – We learn from parents, media, and culture.
Group bias – We like our own group (ingroup) and often distrust others (outgroup).
Scapegoating – Blaming a group for your problems (e.g., immigrants, minorities).
Categorizing people – Our brain groups people quickly, sometimes in unfair ways.
Social inequalities – If one group has more power, they may create systems that keep it that way.
How does prejudice show up?
Overt (obvious) – Slurs, violence, exclusion.
Subtle – Discomfort, ignoring people, assuming things without knowing them.
How can we reduce prejudice?
Bring different groups together (especially as equals).
Work on shared goals (teamwork, not competition).
Increase awareness of bias.
Teach empathy and perspective-taking (put yourself in someone else’s shoes).
Promote diversity in schools, workplaces, and media.
Subtle prejudice
still exists, even if people don’t openly express i
Modern racism/sexism:
More hidden, but still harmful
Stereotype threat
Being reminded of a stereotype can make people perform worse (e.g., women in math, minorities on standardized tests).
Realistic group conflict theory
Prejudice arises when groups compete for limited resources (e.g., jobs, land).
Ways to reduce prejudice
Jigsaw classroom: Each student teaches part of a lesson — builds teamwork and reduces bias.
