Lecture 12 - Stereotyping, Prejudice And Discrimination Flashcards
Name the concept:
- Belief that certain attributes are characteristic of a group of people
- Negative, positive or neutral
Stereotypes
Name the concept:
- An affect-laden judgment/evaluation of a group and its members
Prejudice
Name the concept:
- Deferential treatment of individuals based on their membership in a particular group
- Typically referred to negative behaviour directed against a group
Discrimination
True or false:
- Prejudice, Discrimination and Stereotypes always go together
FALSE
- Stereotype can lead to prejudice that can lead to discrimination,
BUT - Recall that attitudes do not always predict behaviour, since laws, cultural norms and egalitarian values may prevent people from acting on their prejudices
Which is stronger in discrimination: outgroup prejudice or in group favouritism?
- Liking the ingroup is, in most cases, stronger than the dislike of the outgroup.
- Thus, many cases of discrimination are driven by the desire to help members of an ingroup rather than hurt members of the outgroup
What is the evolutionary perspective on discrimination, stereotypes and prejudices?
- We tend to prefer the familiar over the unfamiliar
- Preference for familiar others is probably adaptive : safest when staying with the group you know + outsiders could be potential threat
- Use appearance-based cues of outsiderness to identify danger, trigger ingroup favouritism and cohesion
What were the findings of the Robber’s cave study?
Study:
- 11-12 yo boys
- divided into 2 groups
- 3 phases to experiment
Results:
- Ingroup formation formed very quickly after the groups were required to co-operate, discuss and plan as a group
- competitions were orchestrated between the two groups —> strengthened within-group solidarity + stereotyping of other group + hostile interactions between groups
- inter group hostility calmed by making two groups work together towards common goals
What is the realistic group conflict theory?
Competition for resources can lead to negative inter group attitudes
- Could explain heightened hostility towards immigrants during tough economic times
- These negative feelings can be culturally transmitted from generation to generation, so inter group hostility may persist even when the original conflict is no longer relevant
What were the findings of Henri Tajfel’s minimal group studies?
- Ps favoured members of one’s own group over members of the other group
- More focused on maximizing difference in outcome between ingroup — outgroup than on maximizing the absolute value of the ingroup income (rivalry)
Name the theory:
- We derive a considerable portion of our self-esteem from the groups with which we identify
Social identity theory
What is “basking in reflected glory”?
Tend to take pride in the group’s accomplishments even when we had nothing to do with the group’s accomplishment
- Can boost self-esteem by associating with successful groups
How does social identity theory influence inter group conflict?
- Because we derive self-esteem from group membership, we want to boost our group’s status — want our group to be the best of the groups
- Helps understand the counterintuitive distribution strategies in Tajfel’s studies
What do the minimal group studies tell us?
- Some group memberships feel very meaningful
- it’s not about race, ideology or politics….. just the group membership
Name the concept:
- Singling out a group to blame during times of threat and hardship
Scapegoating
What is explicit prejudice?
“I don’t like those people”
- Conscious and deliberate prejudice
- Can be measured via self-report