Factors Affecting Prejudice: Personality

Question 1

What are the 2 situational factors that can affect prejudice?

Answer 1

-Social norms
-Competition

Question 2

How do social norms affect prejudice?

Answer 2

Unwritten rules about what is socially acceptable. People may follow the norms of their in-group as they fear rejection.
Group identity leads to the formation of prejudiced views as they internalise their groups beliefs.

Question 3

How do social norms affect prejudice?

Answer 3

People follow the rules of their in-group to avoid rejection. They chose to identify with the beliefs and values of their group even if these are prejudiced.

Question 4

Define social norms.

Answer 4

Society’s unwritten rules of what is socially acceptable.

Question 5

How does competition affect prejudice?

Answer 5

When groups are in competition for limited resource prejudice will increase.
For example: immigrants may come at a cost to indigenous populations, they will try to highlight the out-groups lack of worthiness.

Question 6

What is the supporting evidence for social norms affecting prejudice?

Answer 6

Cantril:
Coal miners in the USA.
Below ground they were friendly (shared identity of coal miners)
Above ground: they identified with their coal groups and held negative views towards each other.

Question 7

What is the supporting evidence for competition affecting prejudice?

Answer 7

Sherif et al: robbers cave study

Question 8

How can culture affect prejudice?

Answer 8

Individualistic: Independence and competitive increasing prejudice.
Collectivist: Focus on sharing and cooperation reducing prejudice.

Question 9

What is the supporting evidence of culture affecting prejudice?

Answer 9

Tajfel minimal group experiment:
New Zealand:
Polynesian children (Collectivist) allocated points more fairly
White New Zealanders (Individualistic) allocated points to in-group.