Intergroup Relations Flashcards
Stereotype
A simplified but widely shared belief about a characteristic of a group and its members.
Prejudice
A negative, affective prejudgement about a group and its individual members.
Discrimination
Negative treatment of a group member simply because of their group membership.
Illusory correlation bias
An exaggerated perception of a correlation between two variables. In intergroup relations, the perception that a behaviour is more frequently displayed by a minority than a majority group, when the behaviour is displayed equally by both groups, in proportional terms.
Dogmatism
The tendency for people to be able to tolerate mutually inconsistent beliefs by isolating them from each other in memory.
Personal needs for structure (PNS)
A person’s preference for structure and clarity in most situations, and level of annoyance experienced by ambiguity.
Authoritarianism
A form of social organization characterized by preference for, and submission to, authority.
Right-wing authoritarianism
An individual differences variable characterized by authoritarian aggression and conventionalism.
Social dominance orientation
An individual differences variable that measures people’s preference for hierarchy within any social system.
Realistic group conflict theory
Theory of intergroup conflict that explains intergroup behaviour with respect to the need to secure scarce resources.
Ethnocentrism
Preference for one’s own group, and features of one’s own group, over others.
Contact hypothesis
Theory of prejudice reduction, which proposes that prejudice and conflict between groups can be reduced by bringing them together.
Superordinate goal
A goal that two (or more) groups can aspire to but that can only be achieved by working together in cooperation.
Minimal group paradigm
Experimental manipulation that tests the effects of mere categorization on behaviour.
Sexism
Beliefs about differences between men and women, the roles they perform, and beliefs concerning the appropriateness of these differences.
Hostile sexism
Traditionally sexist view of women that is characterized by the belief that they pose a threat to men’s position.
Benevolent sexism
Apparently positive view of women in which they are seen as necessary for men’s happiness, and superior in a number of ways (e.g., morality)
Ambivalent sexism
Reconceptualization of sexism to take into account the fact that sexism can include both positive and negative attitudes at the same time.
Social creativity
Preserving a positive self-image by identifying and giving weight to dimensions on which they are superior to the high status group.
Objectification
The view of women as being represented by their bodies.
Moral credentialing
Demonstrating one’s credentials (e.g., to be not prejudiced) often means that people will express more prejudice.
Modern racism
Subtle and less aggressive form of prejudice based on race.
Ageism
Prejudiced attitudes about a person or group because of their age.
Aversive racism
Inner conflict between an egalitarian view and racist impulses can be aversive, such that people avoid contact with specific racial groups.
Spontaneous trait inference
People sometimes spontaneously infer others’ traits from their behaviour without intending to, or being aware.
Intergroup anxiety model
Model arguing that people expect negative outcomes when they interact with, or anticipate interaction with, outgroups.
Stereotype threat
Fear of being judged in terms of a stereotype and negatively fulfilling the stereotype. Stereotype threat leads to poorer performance on a task.
Stereotype lift
The reverse of stereotype threat. Fulfilling a positive stereotype leads to enhanced performance.
