Exam #2/ Chp 13/ Stereotypes & Prejudice Flashcards
self-fulfilling prophecy
a prediction that ensures, by the behavior it generates, that it will come true
3 stages of self-fulfilling prophecy
- First, a person believes that a certain event will happen in the future.
- Second, this expectation, or prophecy, leads to a new behavior that the person would have not engaged in without the expectation.
- Third, the expected event takes place (partly as a result of the change in behavior), and the prophecy is fulfilled.
4 things used for self-protection
- social comparison
- criteria of self-worth
- attribution theory
- actively conceal stigma
social comparison used for self protection
People compare themselves to those within their own group. The self-esteem of a minority group might therefore not suffer from the fact that its members earn less than members of other groups. The earnings of other groups are regarded as irrelevant. They mainly compare themselves against each other.
criteria of self-worth
If you’re good at basket weaving or meteorology, you may decide that those are important measures of self-worth, but if you are bad at them, you may decide that they are trivial and irrelevant. Groups, too, can reject or discount the standards that make them look bad, focusing instead on the things they do well.
attribution theory
Some disadvantaged minority groups might protect their self-esteem by attributing their problems to other people’s prejudices against them.
concealing stigma
considered the important distinction between pub- lic self (the image one presents to the world) and private self (how one views oneself).
competitive victimhood
- recent years various scholars have argued that in modern society, various people and groups compete to claim victim status. Being a victim entitles a person to others’ sympathy and emotional support, possibly extending to financial and legal entitlements.
- The victim’s role enjoys a kind of moral privilege. It is considered taboo in many circles to reproach victims for any sort of misbehavior.
- other people may claim victim status precisely because of the moral, legal, or financial advantages inherent in the role.
- people compete for victim status.
- Claiming to be a victim—including based on events in the distant past—serves to reduce one’s guilt, even for seemingly irrelevant acts.
self-defeating prophecy
a prediction that ensures, by the behavior it generates, that it will not come true
stereotype threat
the fear that one might confirm the stereotypes that others hold
what key ingredient impacts stereotype threat?
anxiety
why does anxiety impact performance?
When people become anxious, they try to calm down, but this takes a lot of effort and mental resources, which depletes people of the mental resources they need to perform well on the test
what political bias is in social psych?
liberal bias
old view of stereotypes
- Human beings are naturally cognitively lazy– cognitive misers. We use cognition in efficient ways to conserve mental stamina for other tasks
- Stereotypes are accurate mental representations, that is stereotypes are true of the people for whom which they apply
- Based on probabilistic observations (Lippmann, 1922)
New view on stereotypes
- stereotypes are learned often unconsciously from negative or stereotypic messages perpetuated by society
- Stereotypes are often based on partial, imperfect representations
- Messages often portray social groups, especially minority groups, in negative social contexts
