ch.4

Question 1

stereotypic endorsement

Answer 1

The extent to which a person actually agrees with the social stereotype of a group.

Question 2

categorization

Answer 2

The process of simplifying our environment by creating categories on the basis of characteristics that a particular set of people appear to have in common

Question 3

stereotypic activation

Answer 3

The extent to which a stereotype is accessible in one’s mind.

Question 4

stereotype application

Answer 4

Using a stereotype to judge a member of the stereotyped group.

Question 5

stereotype activation and application

Answer 5

Progression from stereotype activation to application is rapid and automatic, with people only rarely being aware that it is happening.

Two Important Factors:
Stereotypes are most likely to be activated and applied to strangers and others whom people do not know very well.
When people interact with others, their behavior is driven by goals to be achieved and needs to be fulfilled.

Question 6

categorization

Answer 6

The process of simplifying our environment by creating categories on the basis of characteristics that a particular set of people appear to have in common.
It is the first step in the stereotype application process.
Three basic social categories:
Gender, Race, Age
Race is first noticed, then gender.

Question 7

prototypically

Answer 7

A prototypical person of a social category is a member who fits the observer’s concept of the essential features characteristic of that group.

Higher prototypicality leads to the observer categorizing more quickly and easily.

Question 8

situational influences

Answer 8

Situational influences can intervene in the categorization process to emphasize one category over another.
People may need motivation to subcategorize on the basis of other non-basic characteristics.
The context of the encounter can influence categorization.

Question 9

prejudice

Answer 9

Prejudice does play a role in categorization.
Racially prejudiced people tend to pay more attention to race than other characteristics.
Prejudiced people also are biased in the categorizations they make.

Ingroup Overexclusion
Prejudiced people tend to misclassify others as members of the outgroup.
Allows them to avoid treating outgroup members as though they were part of the ingroup.

Question 10

stereotype activation

Answer 10

A dormant stereotype becomes active, ready for use, and capable of influencing a person’s thoughts and behaviors.
Stereotype Activation Processes
automatic processing
motivated processing
The two processes operate simultaneously and can affect one another.

Question 11

automatic activation

Answer 11

People learn category-stereotype links so thoroughly that the stereotype becomes a conditioned, unthinking mental response to the category.
Factors that can disrupt or influence activation process:
prototypicality– facilitates activation
context – can affect the interpretation of what that person is like
prejudice– facilitates activation
cognitive busyness– can disrupt activation due to lack of space in working memory

Question 12

4 categories of motives

Answer 12

People’s motivations and goals can facilitate or inhibit stereotype activation.
Four Categories of Motives:
Comprehension goals – need to form clear impressions of others and understand behavior to know what to expect.
self- enhancement goals – need to see oneself in a positive light.
social adjustment goals – desire to adjust one’s behavior to fit into situations.
Motivation to avoid prejudice – desire to avoid acting prejudice because of personal values or they do not want others to think of them as prejudiced.

stereotype relevance-
Content of the stereotype must be relevant to the particular goal at hand.
The motive may not affect or influence stereotype activation or inhibition if the nature of the stereotype does not help to fulfill the goal.

Multiple motives might be in play whose effects can either reinforce or offset one another.

Question 13

the activated stereotype

Answer 13

The two processes make it difficult to predict whether a stereotype, or which stereotype, might be activated in any given situation.
The mood a person is in might affect the activated stereotype.
People in negative moods saw negative characteristics as more negative compared to people in a positive or neutral mood.
Activated stereotypes dissipate within 12 minutes of activation, but the dissipated stereotype could be reactivated quite easily.

Question 14

stereotype application

Answer 14

The more strongly a stereotype has been activated, the more likely it will be applied.
People can, consciously or unconsciously, inhibit the application of a stereotype.
Stereotype application is the default option: Unless a person is motivated and able to inhibit a stereotype, stereotype activation leads to stereotype application.

Question 15

comprehension goals

Answer 15

Motivation to control prejudice
The more motivated people are to avoid prejudice, the less they use stereotypes.
Comprehension goals
If motivated to form accurate impressions of other people, individuating information is used.
individuating information – information that is specific to the person, regardless of whether it is stereotypic to the person’s group

Question 16

social power and cognitive style

Answer 16

cognitive style -
Motivation varies depending on one’s cognitive style, such as need for cognition, causal uncertainty, and need for closure.
Self-enhancement goals -
Motivation based on threats to self-esteem.
social power-
People with high power are more likely to apply stereotypes.

Question 17

ability to inhibit sterotyping

Answer 17

Factors that interfere with ability to inhibit stereotype application:
lack of cognitive resources-
Cognitive busyness inhibits stereotype activation but once a stereotype has been activated, cognitive busyness facilitates stereotype application.
emotional states-
Happy people and angry people stereotype to a greater extent than people in neutral or sad moods.

Question 18

consequences of stereotype use

Answer 18

When a stereotype is applied, it influences the person’s perceptions of and interactions with members of the stereotyped group.

Four Effects of Activated Stereotypes:
Biased interpretation of behavior
Biased evaluation of individuals and cultural artifacts
Biased memory
Self-fulfilling prophecies

Question 19

biased interpretation of behavior

Answer 19

Ambiguous behaviors are interpreted as stereotype-consistent behaviors.
Ex. A slight shove is interpreted as being more aggressive when performed by a Black person than a White person.
Stereotypes of categories other than race or ethnicity can affect interpretations.
Stereotypes can also influence interpretation of physical characteristics.
Ex. Estimating height of a man and a woman

Question 20

Biased evaluation

Answer 20

When a group stereotype is relevant to an evaluation, the group stereotype can affect the evaluation of a member of the stereotyped group.
True for both positive and negative stereotypes.
Group stereotypes can influence the evaluation of cultural artifacts.
Ex. Rap music vs. country music

Question 21

Biased memory

Answer 21

Stereotypes can affect people’s memories about social interactions.
Actions and behaviors tend to be incorrectly remembered in more stereotype-consistent terms.
source confusion– incorrectly remembering a stereotypic behavior as having been performed by a member of the stereotyped group when it was actually performed by a non-member.
assimilation– remembering a behavior initially presented to them in general terms as stereotype consistent.

Question 22

self- fulfilling prophesies

Answer 22

A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when Person A’s stereotype of Person B’s group leads Person A to behave in ways that elicit stereotype-consistent behavior, or behavior that Person A interprets to be stereotype consistent, from Person B.

Two types of behavior that elicit stereotype-confirming behavior:
Nonverbal
Information-gathering

People show behavioral reciprocation in their interactions with others.
People also tend to ask questions whose answers will confirm their beliefs about others.
People treat members of stereotyped and nonstereotyped groups differently due to their different expectations.