College 8 Flashcards
What are stereotypes?
Stereotypes are cognitive representations of a category of people, consisting of knowledge/assumptions about traits. They can be fake or wrong knowledge.
Can stereotypes have exceptions?
Yes, there is always room for exceptions in stereotypes.
Who introduced the concept of stereotypes as “pictures in our heads” in 1922?
Journalist Lippmann
What is the central tendency in traits in stereotypes?
The central tendency in traits refers to the idea that “most of the people in this group have these traits,” but there is room for variation on these traits.
What is the difference between exemplars and prototypes in stereotypes?
Exemplars are individuals who are part of a group, while prototypes are those who fit all of the traits typically associated with a particular category.
What do stereotypes encompass besides traits?
Stereotypes also include behaviors.
What are some elements included in stereotypes?
Stereotypes encompass exemplars (e.g., Einstein, Scherder, Coca-Cola) and typical behaviors (e.g., “teaching”).
How do humans and products differ in social categorization?
Humans are subject to social categorization, while products like Coca-Cola are not.
What is the difference between stereotypes and prejudice, explained by ABC?
If you have an affective (emotional) component, you are talking about prejudice.
Stereotypes are much more related to cognition.
What is the focus of stereotypes in terms of cognition?
Stereotypes are a cognitive representation of a group.
What are the components of prejudice?
Prejudice includes affect (emotional reactions) and negative affective reactions to outgroups.
What is discrimination?
Discrimination refers to behavior in the context of stereotypes and prejudice.
True or false: stereotypes are always negative
False. Stereotypes often include positive + negative traits.
Most stereotyping is “ambivalent”, but the negative aspects weigh more.
This is also quite often used as an excuse.
How are negative stereotypes often described?
Negative stereotypes are often described as prejudice.
Is it possible to have stereotypes about one’s own group?
Yes, stereotypes about in-groups are possible, but they usually do not lead to prejudice, and this occurrence is not very common. This is known as self-/auto-stereotyping.
What are implicit attitudes, and how are they activated?
Implicit attitudes involve the automatic activation of related components when one says something. They are measured indirectly and involve implicit, automatic associations with outgroup members.
What is an example of a test that measures implicit associations?
The Implicit Association Test (IAT).
It tests the associations that individuals have without their conscious control or awareness.
Name an illustration of an IAT.
- Slap your left hand when you see a negative word and your right hand when you see a positive word.
- Slap your left hand when you see a white Dutch person and your right hand when you see a Moroccan Dutch person.
- Slap your left hand when you either see a white Dutch person or a positive word and slap your right hand when you either see a Moroccan Dutch person or a negative word.
- Slap your left hand when you either see a white Dutch person or a negative word and slap your right hand when you either see a Moroccan Dutch person or a positive word.
- You have a compatible block and an incompatible block. They measure in milliseconds how fast you react. If you make the association easily you will be faster.
What was the focus of the study related to the IAT on the self?
The study aimed to investigate the effects of advertising on self-perception, particularly in relation to body image (thin or overweight).
What were the conditions in the study regarding models and products?
In the study, participants were exposed to either healthy or unhealthy models and were presented with either healthy or unhealthy products.
How did the study regarding models and products demonstrate a product-model fit?
If people saw an overweight model promoting a healthy product, it would be a good product-model fit if the person saw themselves as healthy. If they would see themselves as overweight it had a lower product-model fit.
What conclusion can be drawn regarding self-perception and advertising with overweight models promoting healthy products for individuals who see themselves as overweight?
If someone perceives themselves as overweight and an overweight model promotes a healthy product, this approach is unlikely to work very well, as there is a mismatch in self-perception and the product being advertised.
How do stereotypes develop?
Stereotypes develop, in part, because humans have a natural tendency to categorize the world and the people in it.
What is social categorization?
Social categorization involves dividing the world into groups of people based on various characteristics.
Is categorization a natural and functional process?
Yes, categorization is a natural and functional process that serves practical purposes. For example, it makes tasks like grocery shopping more efficient.
How does social categorization lay the foundation for stereotyping?
By influencing how people perceive and remember information about different groups.
What is the “Who said what?” paradigm?
The “Who said what?” paradigm is a method used to study social categorization.
This is illustrated in a study where participants watch a discussion and are tasked to identify which participant made which statement.
What can you say about the study on the “Who said what?” paradigm?
The participants would watch 6 discussants
- 3 men, 3 women; 3 younger 3 older
- Everyone makes 5 statements
o 30 in total, too many to remember
Task: who made which statement?
- They made a lot of errors in this task; they switched a lot of people up.
Participants automatically categorize.
- Categorization influences memory
The mistakes they made say something about categorization. - For example, it’s easier to confuse discussants within a gender than between genders.
o Intra-categorical error
What characteristics are commonly used for categorization?
Gender is often used for categorization, but so are age, ethnicity, and other characteristics that are “chronically accessible” for both self-description and categorization of others.