CH13 Prejudice Flashcards
Affective or emotional component, representing both the type of emotion linked with the attitude (e.g., anger, warmth) and the extremity of the attitude (e.g., mild uneasiness, outright hostility),
Cognitive component, involving the beliefs or
thoughts (cognitions) that make up the attitude.
Behavioral component, relating to one’s actions— people don’t simply hold attitudes; they usually act on them as well.
3 Components of Attitudes
A hostile or negative attitude toward people in a distinguishable group, based solely on their
membership in that group. Refers to the affective (emotional) component of an attitude. Can involve either positive or negative affect, we use the word prejudice when referring to negative attitudes about others.
Prejudice
A generalization about a group of people
in which identical characteristics are
assigned to virtually all members of the
group, regardless of actual variation
among the members. Refer to the cognitive component of attitudes. These are schemas around group membership and are separate from the positive or negative emotions that may or may not be associated.
Stereotypes
An unjustified negative or harmful action
toward the members of a group simply
because of their membership in that
group. The behavioral component of the attitude. It’s actual actions.
Discrimination
Compared to men, women do tend to manifest behaviors that can best be described as more socially sensitive, friendlier, and more concerned with the welfare of others, while men tend to behave in ways that are more dominant, controlling, and independent.
Some data indicate that the stereotype tends to underestimate the actual gender differences.
While overlap exists between men and women on these characteristics, the differences are too consistent to be dismissed as unimportant.
Gender
Positive feelings and special treatment for
people we have defined as being part of our
in-group and negative feelings and unfair
treatment for others simply because we have
defined them as being in the out-group.
In-Group Bias
The belief that “they” are all alike.
Out-group Homogeneity
Even people who are usually sensible become relatively immune to rational, logical
arguments when it comes to their prejudice.
It is primarily the emotional aspect of
attitudes that makes a prejudiced person so
hard to agree with. Logical arguments are not
effective in countering emotions.
The Failure of Logic
When we expect two things to be related,
we fool ourselves into believing that they
are actually unrelated.
Illusory Correlation
Our tendency to make dispositional attributions about an individual’s negative behavior to an entire group of people.
Ultimate Attribution Error
When African American students find
themselves in highly evaluative educational
situations, most tend to experience
apprehension about confirming the existing
negative cultural stereotype of “intellectual
inferiority.”
Stereotype Threat
Motivated by a desire
to see the world as a fair and just place.
Belief in a just world makes the world less
scary.
Blaming the Victim
Holds that limited resources lead to conflict among groups and result in prejudice and
discrimination. Thus prejudiced attitudes tend to increase when times are tense and conflict exists over mutually exclusive goals.
Realistic Conflict Theory
When times are tough and resources are
scarce:
1. In-group members will feel more
threatened by the out-group.
2. Incidents of prejudice, discrimination,
and violence toward out-group members
will increase.
Economic and Political Competition
Individuals, when frustrated or unhappy, tend
to displace aggression onto groups that are
disliked, are visible, and are relatively
powerless. The form the aggression takes depends on what is allowed or approved by the in-group in question.
Scapegoat
