Factor Affecting Prejudice Flashcards
How can culture affect prejudice?
Culture can influence prejudice if there are Social norms that legitimise prejudice , strict regimens/laws that endorse prejudice , and events that trigger prejudice towards a particular group. Social norms, laws, and events are everchanging, it’s difficult to establish whether one culture is more prejudiced than the other , current prejudices can be established via investigating national stereotypes
What is Katz and Braly study?
In a study conducted by Katz and Braly, they conducted a questionnaire on Princeton university students In 1933 to investigate American stereotypes about other cultures , they had to pick 5-6 traits from 84 personality traits that they thought represented each ethnic group, majority of Americans classified African Americans as superstitious and ignorant and Jews as shrewd. They may have responded in a socially desirable (Social desirability bias) way at the time. Twenty years later (1969) , Karlins replicated the study and found that some stereotypes changed and some persisted. This suggests that cultures affects prejudice, and as cultures change, so does the prejudice they hold.
It’s difficult to generalise as well as the fact that individual differences such as upbringing could play a part
Cultural comparisons do not support the idea that one group may have more prejudice
How individualistic and collectivist cultures differ in prejudice?
Individualistic cultures (More self-centred, have individual goals) are less likely to be prejudiced due to their idea that individuals in the group are important, collectivist cultures (Importance of collective achievement, common goals) are more likely to due to emphasis on group as a whole (I DON’T AGREE WITH THIS!!!)
Individualistic cultures are more likely to conduct interpersonal prejudice (Prejudice within own culture) , and collectivist cultures are more likely to conduct intergroup prejudice (Prejudice to people of a different culture, outside their own culture). Suggests prejudice is more likely to be from collectivist cultures, social identity theory believes this too.
What is the conclusion of culture affecting prejudice?
In a cultural comparison of Saudi (collectivist) and American (individualist) people, Al-Zahrani and Kaplowitz (1993) found Saudis to self-report more in-group favouritism and negative out-group bias. Whereas Kleugel (1990) found that collectivism is associated with greater tolerance and lower racism. Comparisons between cultures does not support the idea that one type of culture is more prejudiced than the other, cross-cultural comparisons of prejudice are hard to measure.
What did Theodore Adorno produce?
Theodore Adorno et al (and others) 1950 stated that authoritarians looked down on people who are socially inferior or/ and a different, race age, gender, authoritarians scored higher on the f-scale.
Interviewed two college students (Mack and Larry) about political beliefs, upbringing and attitude to minorities, they helped develop a series of questionnaires that would measure the authoritarian personality
THE SCALES ARE QUESTIONNAIRES THAT MEASURE AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
Questionnaires are self-report techniques
Antisemitism scale- Prejudice towards Jews
Ethnocentrism/prejudice scale- Your ethnic group is better than any ethnic group
Any group of social movement which suggests a suspicion of foreigners.
Conservatism scale- Belief in tradition and social order, dislikes change.
Capitalist ideas, business over creativity, stay middle to the road, young people rebel and then learn their place later.
Anti-democratic- Opposes democracy and fair election
Fascism scale- Sex crimes deserve more than imprisonment, no insult to honour should go unpunished, when people move and mix more freely and consistently, a man must protect himself against infection and disease.
What were Adorno’s interviews?
80 interviews (40 male and 40 female) , covering information about background, beliefs, feelings towards others and religious and political ideology.
The information, questionnaire data, clinical interviews with Mack and Larry, Thematic apperception tests (Abstract images to interpret attitudes towards particular subject) to produce theory of prejudice
What are the characteristics of an authoritarian personality?
In general, a person with an authoritarian personality has these characteristics: hostility to people socially inferior (Minority groups and people perceived as outgroups), hostile, rigid in thinking, dislike changes, conform to group norms.
In 1950’s the ingroup was being white, American, heterosexual.
They are submissive to authority and obedient to people in positions of power
Reasons- Upbringing (during childhood) Strict and unaffectionate parenting, project anger onto others, learning that they can be hostile to those who are weak. Must be respectful
How can you evaluate authoritarian personality?
While the authoritarian personality seems credible, and explains individual differences such as bullies or individuals with extreme political ideas, it’s unlikely to be a valid explanation for wide-scale prejudice such as prejudice against jews in the Holocaust.
Issues -Suggests that certain personality traits are innate (genetic), this idea is Biology based and suggests that prejudice is fixed/ unchangeable however, in history such as Rwanda this isn’t the case. The Rwandan genocide developed due to the fact a harmonious settlement of Tutsis were formed. There is no genetic explanation for social change. A person cannot become authoritarian by choice.
