Factors Affecting Prejudice Flashcards
What are the factors affecting prejudice?
Individual differences – personality
Situational factors – social norms and RCT
Culture
What is Authoritarian Personality?
The authoritarian personality is a personality type characterised by extreme obedience and unquestioned respect for, and submission to, a legitimate figure of authority.
What is Right Wing Authoritarianism?
This personality type develops as a reaction to fear and uncertainty, product of early social learning.
Individuals seek security through preserving existing social order.
Overly suspicious and hostile towards anyone who defies the norm or seems different.
Strength of individual differences affecting prejudice
Cohrs et al (2012)
Investigation into individual differences and prejudice.
Opportunity sample of 193 people aged 18-67 years old from diverse social backgrounds in Germany (all able-bodied, heterosexual and German nationals).
Participants completed questionnaires which measured RWA and prejudice about attitudes towards homosexuality, foreigners and people with disabilities.
Findings showed significant correlations between RWA and generalised prejudice. RWA and authoritarian personality may be useful predictors for prejudice.
Weakness of individual differences affecting prejudice
Research by Sherif shows that personality may not be the main thing that affect prejudice. It can instead be competition.
What are social norms?
Unwritten rules about what is desirable and normal within a particular society. For example, manners, punctuality, queuing
How can social norms affect prejudice?
If you do not adhere to the rules of the group this may lead to rejection, whereas following the norms increases self-esteem.
Creating a group identity means you internalise a groups frame of reference and are likely to be prejudiced against those who do not fit in. (social identity theory).
How does realistic conflict theory increase prejudice?
Realistic conflict theory highlighted competition as important in escalating prejudice. Prejudice can increase if the situation is one where there is direct competition for limited commodities such as jobs and money. This is further heightened if it is seen as zero sum.
Strength of situational factors affecting prejudice.
Filindra and Pearson-Merkowitz (2013)
Carried out examination of data to see if when a dominant white majority perceives a threat there is more prejudice and discrimination.
They found that a perceived increase in presence of immigrants in the community correlated with an immigration policy with more restrict (measured by support for Arizona’s anti-immigration policy).
Only the case in times where people perceived that there will be economic hardships
This is as realistic conflict would predict, prejudice increases when there is perceived competition for resources and heightened if seen as zero sum
Weakness of situational factors affecting prejudice
However, some social factors and social norms actually reduce prejudice.
Wetherell (1982) found that in her replication of Tajfel’s experiment with 8 year old schoolchildren in New Zealand, indigenous Polynesian students were more generous with their points allocations to the outgroup as compared to their caucasian peers.
This suggests that a more collectivist culture because of their values may be less discriminatory
How can culture affect prejudice?
Culture can influence prejudice as Baldwin (2017) stated all people believe that their culture is better than others (ethnocentrism).
Where cultures are more tolerant, discrimination may exist in more covert ways (microaggressions, benevolent intolerance)
Some cultures might have more open discrimination and even legal prejudices against certain groups – the Apartheid was legal in south Africa until 1994 meaning there were different laws for white and black people.
How do cultures differ in prejudice?
Cultures may also differ in prejudice due to being individualistic rather than collectivist. Collectivist cultures tend to be more focused on sharing and cooperation so this might reduce discrimination. Some cultures also value fairness such as the minimal groups studies conducted in New Zealand.
Strength of culture affecting prejudice.
Research shows that more collectivist cultures, such as polynesians in New Zealand were less prejudiced.
Wetherell (1982) found that in her replication of Tajfel’s experiment with 8 year old schoolchildren in New Zealand, indigenous Polynesian students were more generous with their points allocations to the outgroup as compared to their caucasian peers
This suggests that a more collectivist culture, because of their values may be less discriminatory
Weakness of culture affecting prejudice.
Research by Sherif shows that culture may not be the main thing that affect prejudice. It can instead be competition.
