L5 Stereotypes and social reality

Question 1

What is the social cognitive approach to schemas?

Answer 1

A schema is a cognitive structure that consists in part of a representation of some stimulus domain.

Question 2

What do schemas consist of?

Answer 2

General knowledge and expectations about the world

(people, events, social roles, how to behave in certain situation etc.)

Question 3

How are schemas learnt?

Answer 3

Through socialization and experience.

Question 4

What is the purpose of schemas?

Answer 4

Provide control and prediction in order to navigate the social world.

functional and essential for well being (how could we function without prior knowledge or expectation)

Question 5

According to the dual-process model of information processing, what are the two processes for information processing?

Answer 5

Theory-driven (categorical, data is unambiguous and relatively unimportant to person)

Data-driven (individuating, data are ambiguous and relatively important to the person)

Question 6

According to Fiske and Neuberg (1990) most person-perception is on which end of the continuum?

Answer 6

Theory-driven (categorical)

Question 7

According to the continuum model of information processing, when is stereotyping most likely to occur?

Answer 7

When individuals are using theory-driven / categorical thinking.

When perceiver lacks the time, cognitive resources and motivation to think carefully and accurately.

Question 8

According to schema theory - before we can apply a schema to a social object, what must we first do to the object?

Answer 8

Categorize the object

(how we identify stimuli and group them as one category)

Question 9

What are the 4 schema types?

Answer 9

Person schemas

Self-schemas

Event schemas

Role schemas

Question 10

Stereotypes belong to which type of schema?

Answer 10

Role schemas

“a type of schema which organizes information and knowledge about people from different social categories”

Question 11

What is a stereotype?

Answer 11

Mental representations of social groups/group members that are widely shared.

(considered to be highly functional to help simplify social reality)

Question 12

What are the ‘top three’ stereotypes according to Fiske (1998)?

Answer 12

Age

Race

Gender

Question 13

Stereotypes are a cognitive shortcut, why do we have cognitive shortcuts?

Answer 13

Highly adaptive due to limited cognitive capacity to make sense of challenging and overwhelming stimulus world

Question 14

What are the three possible models for being able to change a schema? (Weber and Crocker, 1983)

Answer 14

1. Book-keeping model
2. Conversion model
3. Sub-typing model

Question 15

What is the book-keeping model for schema change? (Rumelhart and Norman, 1978)

Answer 15

a) People fine-tune the schema with each new piece of information
b) Small or gradual changes with small contradictory evidence can influence schema
c) Many contradictions and extreme deviations will lead to a considerable schema change

Question 16

What is the conversion model for schema change? (Rothbart, 1981)

Answer 16

While minor inconsistencies in the schema can be tolerated, major salient instances that clearly disconfirm the schema will lead to dramatic schema change.

Question 17

What is the sub-type model for schema change?

Answer 17

a) disconfirming instances of a schema will lead to the creation of a sub-type
b) the development of sub-types leaves the overall schema intact
c) recognizes the hierarchical structure of schemas (more general and super-ordinate categories at the top with concrete and specific sub-types at the bottom)

Question 18

What did the results of the Hewstone, Hopkins and Routh (1992) police-schools liaison study reveal about what concentrated exposure does to stereotypes?

Answer 18

Students found the police officers gave favourable impressions, however, it did little to change students’ stereotypes about police.

Question 19

Rather than change students stereotypes about police in the Hewstone, Hopkins and Routh (1992) police-schools liaison study, what did favourable interactions with police do to students schema?

Answer 19

The police officers were seen as atypical

They did not change their stereotype about police officers but instead created a sub-type schema for the officer to keep their schema in tact.

Question 20

What did the researchers of the Hewstone, Hopkins and Routh (1992) police-schools liaison study conclude about what disconfirming exemplars (evidence) does to stereotypes?

Answer 20

People are less likely to disconfirm their stereotype and instead more likely to create sub-type exceptions (sub-type model)

(therefore the stereotype remains intact)

Question 21

Why do we stereotype according to social cognition theorists?

Answer 21

Question 22

What is the difference in how stereotypes are seen in social cognition theory vs social identity theory?

Answer 22

Social cognition: stereotypes are energy saving mechanisms used to cope with overwhelming stimulus input

Social identity: a sense-making activity that enhances our understanding of the world, and helps us infuse categories with meaning and relevance.

Question 23

Why does Oakes (1994) believe that group based perception is as psychologically valid as individual-based perception

(i.e. theory-driven (categorical) as valid as data-driven (individuating))

Answer 23

Stereotypes orient people to the ‘actualities of social life’

Question 24

Why does SIT critique the social cognitive approaches to stereotypes?

Answer 24

1) It is infused with individualist assumptions about person perception (not more accurate, valid or meaningful than group perception)
2) Draws together our understanding/theory on the one hand, with material reality on the other (no coherent)

Question 25

In SIT, stereotyping is associated with the perception, construction and use of social categories.

What are the three categories that range in degree of inclusivity?

Answer 25

Personal

Intermediate

Super-ordinate

Question 26

Why do schema theorists believe that stereotypes are veridical (truthful)?

Answer 26

Because they represent the given material ‘reality of life’

(reflect social reality accurately)

Question 27

Which theory believes that stereotypes are:

“rigid stored mental schemas with fixed invariable content waiting to be activated”

Answer 27

Social Cognition Theory

Question 28

Which theory believes that stereotypes are:

“fluid, dynamic and context-dependent”

“relational context always significant for defining groups”

(stereotypes are related to intergroup context and are therefore variable and flexible)

Answer 28

Social Identity Theory

Question 29

Leyens, Yzerbyt and Schadron have a pragmatic view of stereotypes.

They believe that categories are ‘reservoirs of meaning’

How do they view stereotypes?

Answer 29

Stereotypes are ‘naive theories’ which facilitate social perception and interaction.

Question 30

According to Leyens, Yzerbyt and Schadron, thinking involves what 3 things?

Answer 30

Interactional

Motivation

Goal-oriented

Question 31

While some stereotypes can be bad, why do SIT theorists believe that the process of stereotyping is a good and essential cognitive process?

Answer 31

It locates individuals and groups within the social matrix

Question 32

What did McCauley and Stitt show about stereotypes? (‘kernel of truth’ hypothesis)

Answer 32

That stereotypes were quite accurate (r = .62) and were more likely to be underestimating the strength of the results.

This could be why stereotypes are hard to break and resistant to change.

Question 33

What factors undermine the ‘kernel of truth’ hypothesis?

Answer 33

Stereotypes are not simply social-demographic markers of groups but rather they attribute fixed and essentialist qualities to groups and its members.

Stereotypes are used as explanatory accounts to explain perceived group differences.

Question 34

How do SIT/SCT researchers explain why stereotypes are veridical?

Answer 34

1. Veridical to the extent that they reflect the nature of intergroup relations within a society
2. Social perception is always relative and stereotypes orient people to the actualities of group life.
3. Stereotypes do not reflect in individual members of a group but the ‘emergent properties of the social category as a whole’

Question 35

How does Doise’s level 4 (ideological) frame stereotypes?

Answer 35

Stereotypes are forms of shared beliefs which serve the interests of certain groups at the expense of other groups.

Question 36

According to Doise’s level 4 (ideological) analysis, how do stereotypes serve ideological functions?

Answer 36

1. Justifies exploitation
2. Explain poverty or powerlessness of some groups and the success of others

Make these differences seem natural or legitimate.

4. Explain the social system and positions and actions of self and others.

Question 37

Research shows that low-status/marginalized groups will apply and internalize negative self-stereotypes

Why does this go against SIT?

Answer 37

SIT purports that we strive for positive self-identity, self and group-enhancement and positive distinctiveness

Question 38

When looking at stereotypes through Doise’s level 4 (ideological) analysis, how can stereotypes be used as political weapons?

Answer 38

1. Justify the exploitation of certain groups
2. To legitimate oppression and inequality
3. To maintain the status quo

Question 39

Why might the naive realist argument that stereotypes are ‘accurate’ representations of groups be wrong?

Answer 39

There is no ‘disinterested’ way to measure these differences that might be due to cultural, socialisation etc. factors and not based upon the accuracy of the stereotype.