Chapters 3/4 Flashcards
categorization
the process of simplifying the environment by creating categories on the basis of characteristics that a particular set of people appear to have in common
basic social categories
race, age, gender
stereotype content model
outgroups tend to be seen as two dimensions
1. warm and friendly/cold unfriendly
2. competent/incompetent
subtypes
when people recognize that a person can simultaneously be a member of two or more basic categories, they can also use a single category, such as middle-aged woman, that represents both basic categories simultaneously
prototypicality
the extent that fits the observer’s concept of the essential features characteristic of that category
racial phenotypical
The more prototypical of a category a person is, the more quickly and easily the person is categorized
ingroup over exclusion
Some people want to avoid treating outgroup members as though they were part of the ingroup; to
accomplish this, they draw a tight circle around their ingroup
hypodescent
when categorizing a racially ambiguous person, people classify the person as a member of the minority group rather than the majority group
minimal group paradigm
ingroups and outgroups can be created from the smallest conditions
outgroup homogeneity effect
People tend to see members of their own group as very different
from each other and, at the same time, tend to underestimate the differences among members of other
groups
ultimate attribution error
occurs when people assume that their own group’s negative behavior can
be explained by situational factors, but similar negative actions by members of other groups are due to
their personal characteristics
correspondence bias
people’s tendency to misjudge the demands of situations on behavior: All things being equal, people give relatively little weight to how situational factors influence behavior; instead, they believe someone’s actions reflect the person’s personality traits
social role theory
when people observe others, they pay attention to the social roles others occupy
illusory correlations
beliefs that incorrectly link two characteristics
man-first principle
reflected by the tendency for men to
be mentioned before women when two-word phrases, such as brothers and sisters or king and queen
linguistic intergroup bias
positive descriptions of ingroups and negative descriptions of outgroups tend to be made in abstract terms; in contrast, negative ingroup and positive outgroup actions tend to be described in concrete terms.
stereotype endorsement
is the extent to which a person believes that the social stereotype
of a group accurately describes members of the group
stereotype activation
the extent to which a stereotype is
accessible in one’s mind
stereotype application
the extent to which one uses a stereotype to judge a member of the stereotyped group
intersectional invisibility
people with two or more subordinate identities are more difficult to categorize and, as a result, are less likely to be used as a prototypical member of either group
self-enhancement goals
When people need to see themselves in a positive light. Negative stereotypes can help people because seeing others in a negative light can make oneself look better by comparison
social adjustment motives
When people automatically alter their behavior to fit into situations and adhere to the norms or rules
of behavior for that setting
chronic egalitarian goal
motivation to control prejudiced responses, especially one that is based on personal standards rather than external pressure, that is always operating
cognitive style
people high on the trait of need for
_____ generally like to think about things carefully and consider all options when making a decision even when there is no particular reason to do so
individuating information
information that is specific to the person, regardless of whether it is stereotypic to the person’s group
causal uncertainty
people’s need to accurately understand how the world and other people operate
entity theorist
people who implicitly believe that personality is fixed
need for closure/structure
these people prefer simple, definite answers to questions and dislike ambiguity and uncertainty
shooter bias
“he has a gun” response is more likely to occur when the stimulus person is a Black man, regardless of whether that response is correct or incorrect
incremental theorists
people who believe that personality is malleable and that, for example, an individual’s moral decision-making can be influenced by situational factors
self-fulfilling prophecy
When our initial behavior toward others leads them to behave in a way that meets our stereotypic expectations and behave in a stereotype-consistent manner
subtyping model
treating group members who
do not fit their stereotypes as anomalies and creating special categories for those exceptions to the
rule
concentrated disconfirmation
perceivers create new categories to account for a person who doesn’t fit the stereotype
dispersed disconfirmation
What might have been seen as an exception to the rule is now becoming part of the rule. Therefore, the
group stereotype is likely to be changed
the D’s of difference
distancing, denial, defensiveness, devaluing, and discovery
