Lecture 11

Question 1

What is generalized prejudice?

Answer 1

Those relatively more prejudiced towards one outgroup (ex: gay men) are generally more prejudiced towards other groups (same with low prejudice).

Question 2

Why can it be so difficult to change prejudice?

Answer 2

Because it is often within our personality and becomes really hard to get rid of. Have to change the person to change the prejudice,

Question 3

What are the two strongest individual predictors of prejudice?

Answer 3

Right wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation.

Question 4

What is authoritarianism and the 9 characteristics?

Answer 4

Personality type especially susceptible to unthinking obediance. 9 characteristics: Conventionalism, authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, stereotype, projectivity, anti-intraception, power and toughness, destructiveness and cynicism, and sex.

Question 5

What is conventionalism?

Answer 5

Rigid adherence to conventional values

Question 6

What is authoritarian submission?

Answer 6

Unquestioning and uncritical attitudes towards authority

Question 7

What is authoritarian aggression?

Answer 7

Condemn, reject, and punish norm violators

Question 8

What is stereotypy?

Answer 8

Disposition to think in rigid categories

Question 9

What is projectivity?

Answer 9

Sensitivity to danger; personal urges projected onto others. Projecting bad urges onto others.

Question 10

What is anti-intraception?

Answer 10

Opposition to the subjective, imaginative, and tender minded.

Question 11

What is power and toughness?

Answer 11

Exaggerated concerns with and displays of power

Question 12

What is destructiveness and cynicism?

Answer 12

Outward negativism regarding humanity

Question 13

What is sex?

Answer 13

Preoccupation with the sexual behaviours of others.

Question 14

According to psychoanalytic theory, why does the authoritarian personality arise and how does it arise in response to prejudice?

Answer 14

Prejudice is an ego-defence, displacing aggression away from the powerful and toward scapegoat targets. The origins of this personality trait arose from strict child-rearing, humiliation/deprecation of the child, affection for complete compliance. This results in repressed anger towards parents and displaced hostility towards outgroups.

Question 15

What are some of the strengths of the authoritarian personality theory?

Answer 15

Prejudice has something to do with dominance and submission-also a generalized prejudice tendency

Question 16

What are some of the weaknesses of the authoritarian personality theory?

Answer 16

Fascism scale, agreement bias (all items worded the same, agreement always = authoritarianism) , political bias (authoritarianism on political right), child rearing explanation not well researched, psychoanalytic bias-presents authoritarianism as pathological and rare. Prejudice is more a side effect of human cognitive functioning.

Question 17

What are the 3 dimensions of right-wing authoritarianism?

Answer 17

Submission, aggression, and conventionalism

Question 18

What is the idea behind submission?

Answer 18

Submission to established and legitimate authorities

Question 19

What is the idea behind aggression?

Answer 19

Generalized aggression sanctioned by authorities

Question 20

What is the idea behind conventionalism?

Answer 20

Strong adherence to social conventions that appear to be endorsed by society.

Question 21

How does RWA differ from the authoritarian personality type?

Answer 21

Set of attitudes rather than a personality type. Psychological rather than pathological. Scale does not refer to politics and is balanced. Less psychoanalytic origin.

Question 22

What is the origin of RWA?

Answer 22

Genetics, experiences, especially during adolescence (social learning theory), lower levels in highly educated (associated with intelligence), societal threats can increase levels of authoritarianism in society.

Question 23

What does right wing authoritarianism predict?

Answer 23

Prejudice towards a wide variety of groups, especially if the group is perceived to violate traditional values or whom authority figures condemn.

Question 24

What is social dominance orientation?

Answer 24

Support for intergroup inequality, group hierarchies, and dominance.

Question 25

What characteristics does the social dominance orientation share with authoritarianism?

Answer 25

Anti-intraception, power and toughness, destructiveness and cynicism.

Question 26

What are the 2 components of SDO?

Answer 26

Group based dominance, and oppositions to equality. There should be a hierarchy and my group should be on top. Lower groups deserve to be there.

Question 27

How is SDO related to power?

Answer 27

Bidirectionaly. Higher SDO means you hold more power and are also more attracted to it, power means higher SDO.

Question 28

What predicts more negative attitudes towards the group under SDO?

Answer 28

If the group is currently trying to gain equality, or if they are perceived to challenge the legitimacy of social inequality.

Question 29

What are legitimizing myths?

Answer 29

A set of beliefs that people high in SDO use to justify their dominant position into society-leads to attitudes/behaviours to keep low status groups in their place. These myths can also be positive but still aren’t beneficial.

Question 30

What did Ekehammer et al look at with regards to personality and prejudice?

Answer 30

Measured RWA and SDO as well as Big 5 Personality factors.

Question 31

What are the Big 5 factors?

Answer 31

Openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism.

Question 32

What were the results of Ekehammer et al’s study?

Answer 32

None of the big 5 personality factors were directly related to prejudice-all were related through RWA and SDO.

Question 33

Which 3 factors were related to RWA and what was the direction of this relationship?

Answer 33

Openness (negative), Conscientiousness (positive), extraversion (positive)- but might be an anomaly.

Question 34

Which factor was related to SDO and what was the direction of this relationship?

Answer 34

Agreeableness (negatively).

Question 35

What are the biggest factors in these relationships?

Answer 35

Openness and agreeableness.

Question 36

Which factor (RWA or SDO) is more strongly related to generalized prejudice?

Answer 36

SDO.

Question 37

What are the aspects of the HEXACO personality test?

Answer 37

Honesty/humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience.

Question 38

Which HEXACO factors were related to RWA and what was the direction?

Answer 38

Honesty/humility (positive), openness to experience (negative).

Question 39

Which HEXACO factors related to SDO and what was the direction?

Answer 39

Emotionality (negative), Extraversion (negative), openness to experience (negative).

Question 40

What is the biggest personality predictor of prejudice?

Answer 40

Openness.

Question 41

What is a liberal?

Answer 41

Support for social change, rejection of inequality

Question 42

What is a conservative?

Answer 42

Preference of tradition, acceptance of inequality. Associated with more prejudice and both RWA and SDO.

Question 43

What did Dovidio and Gaertner look at with regards to political orientation and prejudice?

Answer 43

Can liberals be prejudiced? Found that conservatives express symbolic prejudice and liberals express aversive. Both liberals and conservatives are prejudiced towards their respective outgroups.

Question 44

What is the value-conflict hypothesis?

Answer 44

People prefer individuals who share their own values and may have animosity towards those who don’t. Prejudice is expressed at the same strength for both liberals and conservatives.