Chapter on social categorization Flashcards
Thinking about others in terms of their group memberships is known as……
social categorization:
the natural cognitive process by which we place individuals into social groups
Explain how we sometimes think of our relationships with others at the individual level and sometimes at the group level:
Individual: Two people who like to hang out
Group: If group status is made salient, might feel you are a representative of that group, and advocate for it (gender, school, etc)
How does Social categorization occur?
spontaneously, without much thought on our part
What did the “Name Confusions,” task find about group memebership?
mistakes were such that the statements that had actually been made by a man were more frequently wrongly attributed to another man
We categorize people by their groups, and tend to make more within group errors
What are the Benefits of Social Categorization?
Ex. If you found yourself lost in a city, you might look for a police officer or a taxi driver to help you find your way.
Simplifying the world: we sometimes categorize others not because it seems to provide more information about them but because we may not have the time (or the motivation) to do anything more thorough
What are the Negative Outcomes of Social Categorization?
social categorization distorts our perceptions (see bigger differences between groups and see outgroups as more similar)
What is outgroup homogeneity?
the tendency to view members of outgroups as more similar to each other than we see members of ingroups
In a tiling task (sort traits into ingroup vs outgroup) what did they find?
people perceive outgroups as more homogeneous than their ingroup. Just as White people used fewer piles of traits to describe Blacks than Whites
Why do we have outgroup homogeniety?
because we don’t have as much contact with outgroup members as we do with ingroup members & quality of interaction with outgroup members is often more superficial
How do we learn sterotypes?
we learn our stereotypes in part through our communications with parents and peers (even five year old’s know them)
How are stereotypes maintained?
Once they become established, stereotypes (like any other cognitive representation) tend to persevere
ex. individuals addressed fewer questions to members of categories about which they had strong stereotypes (as if they already knew what these people were like)
information that confirms our stereotypes is better remembered than information that disconfirms them
And stereotypes become difficult to change because they are so important to us—they become an integral and important part of our everyday lives in our culture. Stereotypes are frequently expressed on TV, in movies, and in social media
they are so highly cognitively accessible, and because they seem so “right,”
IMPORTANT: People are also usually unwilling to admit they hold sterotypes
How do stereotypes become self-fulfilling prophecies?
Once we believe that men make better leaders than women, we tend to behave toward men in ways that makes it easier for them to lead.
And we behave toward women in ways that makes it more difficult for them to lead.
why do Black students in the United States perform more poorly on standardized tests, receive lower grades, and are less likely to remain in school in comparison with White students?
Black students are aware of the (inaccurate) stereotype that “Blacks are intellectually inferior to Whites,” this stereotype might create a negative expectation, which might interfere with their performance on intellectual tests through fear of confirming that stereotype
What is stereotype threat?
performance decrements that are caused by the knowledge of cultural stereotypes
When is stereotype threat created?
situations that pose a significant threat to self-concern, such that our perceptions of ourselves as important, valuable, and capable individuals are threatened.
How is stereotype threat is caused by both cognitive and affective factors?
cognitive side, individuals who are experiencing stereotype threat show an impairment in cognitive processing that is caused by increased vigilance toward the environment and attempts to suppress their stereotypical thoughts.
On the affective side, stereotype threat creates stress as well as a variety of affective responses including anxiety
