Factors Affecting Prejudice: Situation and Culture

Question 1

Situation: Social Norms

Answer 1

SN are part of the situation.

Question 2

Situation: What do Social Norms refer to?

Answer 2

Refer to the unwritten rules about what is. socially acceptable and desirable within specific social groups.

Question 3

Situation: Why do people follow norms?

Answer 3

Follow norms created by their ingroup because violations may lead to rejection.

They wish to avoid rejections because group belonging is a strong motivator due to its link with self esteem.

Norms can act as powerful social influences.

Question 4

Situation: Henry Cantril

Answer 4

Suggested that this group identity, and socialisation by the group, is central to the formation of prejudiced views.

Individuals become more prejudiced as they internalise a groups ‘frame of reference’.

Question 5

Situation: What have studies shown?

Answer 5

The expression of prejudice and discrimination are influenced by social norms.

Ralph Minard noted the difference in relations between white and black coal miners in the US. Below ground they were friendly and worked well together (identified as miner). Above ground they held negative views to each other (identified in social groups).

Question 6

Situation: Competition and Resource Stress

Answer 6

Realistic Conflict Theory highlighted that when groups are in competition for limited resources the result is prejudice. This competition is a situational factor.

Question 7

Situation: Competition and Resource Stress - Victoria Esses and colleagues

Answer 7

They use the term ‘resource stress’ to describe the problem that occurs when people believe that commodities like jobs and money are limited.

Prejudice arises when ingroup perceive themselves to be in direct competition for scarce resources with some other salient group.

Question 8

Define Culture

Answer 8

The ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular group of people or society. Refers to shared practices and beliefs.

Question 9

Culture: Norm of Intolerance
What did Joseph Baldwin state?

Answer 9

He stated that all cultures are ethnocentric to some extent (they believe their own culture is superior to others). Some cultures are more prejudiced than others.

Question 10

Culture: Norm of Intolerance

Cultures and Prejudice

Answer 10

In some cultures the norm is to be more accepting of diversity and tolerant of difference, though there still can be some covert prejudice.

Question 11

What does Baldwin refer to covert prejudice and discrimination as?

How does he describe benevolent Intolerance?

Answer 11

Refers to them as micro-aggressions

Describes benevolent intolerance whereby ingroups behave differently towards outgroups and justify it as a kindly attempt to support people with a perceived lower status like giving money to a homeless person but against a homeless shelter built on your street.

Question 12

Other cultures and prejudice

Answer 12

Outward expression of prejudice to certain outgroups may be accepted and even encouraged.

Question 13

Example of other cultures and prejudice

Answer 13

High levels of prejudice and discrimination shown by the white pop in South Africa.

Between 1948 and 1994, racial segregation was legal and led to gross discrimination of the black majority. It was abolished in 1994 but prejudice and discrimination are still widespread.

Question 14

Culture: The norm of fairness

Answer 14

Some cultures are more concerned with fairness than competition, which should lead to lower levels of prejudice and discrimination.

Question 15

Example of The norm of fairness

Answer 15

Margaret Wetherell replicated Tajfel’s minimal group experiment in a NZ school, using school records to determine the ethnic origin of her 8 year old participants.

Found that immigrant Polynesian children were more generous in their allocation of points to outgroup members than the Caucasian classmates.

Question 16

Wetherell’s experiment: What do these cultural differences reflect?

Answer 16

Reflect the individualistic - collectivist continuum.

NZ is an individualistic culture (79/100 on Hofstede’s Continuum) and Fiji scored 14/100 (Fiji is close to Polynesia).

We might expect collectivist cultures to be more focussed on sharing and cooperation, reducing discrimination level.

Question 17

Support of Situational

Answer 17

Akrami et al. study experimentally manipulated social norms.

• Some PP heard a confederate express skepticism that anyone could agree to a statement saying there is no discrimination against women in Sweden.
• Mean levels of sexism sig lower for a group that heard this statement vs a control group who didn’t.
• PP who read an article about a bleak future for Sweden’s social and economic areas expressed more prejudiced attitudes than a control group.
• Shows that prejudice can be affected by situational factors like perceived social norms and social threat.

Question 18

Competing Akrami’s experiment

Answer 18

Akrami reported that personality variables (RGA and SDO) had an influence. The rank order of the participants’ individual levels of prejudice were related to personality, demonstrating that both situational and individual differences are important determinants of prejudice.

Question 19

Application of the work on situational factors

Answer 19

Provides ideas on how to combat prejudice.

Esses et al. suggests targeting the zero-sum beliefs that lead to prejudice against e.g. immigrant.

Their experimental study showed that this was an effective strategy although reactance in people high in SDO created more negative attitudes. A more indirect approach may be necessary to address prejudice in some people.

Question 20

Strength of culture and prejudice

Answer 20

Orpen notes that F-scale scores were not sig correlated with prejudice in a group of white South African PP.

But measures of social conformity, susceptibility to cultural pressure and adherence to culturally approved
norms showed sig correlations with prejudice to black South Africans.

Suggests conformity to cultural norms may be a critical detriment of intolerant attitudes to specific outgroups.

Question 21

Competing Orpen

Answer 21

PP were 16 year old schoolchildren. Young people may have a stronger desire to fit in with their social group.