Lecture 4: Prominent Theories in Intergroup Relations l Flashcards
dominant period of scientific racism
before 1920s
context of scientific racism
use of scientific research to justify white cultural domination
focus of scientific racism
identifying exotic & negative differences in non-white people
view of prejudice of scientific racism
justified by data
what contributed to the rise of phrenology
many Americans were looking for a scientific justification to continue practicing slavery
samuel morton
an American doctor who popularized the idea that race could be correlated with skull size, which reflected group differences in intelligence
dominant period of psychodynamic theories
1920’s-1950’s
context of psychodynamic theories
prevalence of explicit racism and the aftermath of the Holocaust
focus of psychodynamic theories
identifying why individuals are prejudiced
psychodynamic view of prejudice
irrational and unjustifiable, rooted in individual differences
- Personality
- Unconscious defense mechanisms
- Projection of frustration onto minorities
displaced frustration and anger theory
People experience frustration when one of their goals is blocked. Following frustration, people feel aggression, which creates an intention to harm. However, aggression is usually displaced because the source of frustration is usually too powerful. As a result, aggression is displaced onto a weaker target (even the self).
according to displaced frustratoin and anger theory, when is the release of anger most satisfying
The weaker the target, the more satisfying the release of aggression
the authoritarian personality
a set of personality traits associated with belief in obedience to authority and oppression of subordinate groups
psychodynamic explanation for the authoritarian personality
the ‘id’ produces negative impulses, which cannot be properly controlled by one’s ‘ego’. This psychic conflict then projects those negative impulses onto minority groups and greater respect for authority
psychodynamic theories today
We study similar personality traits but don’t use psychodynamic explanations
authoritarians today
Authoritarians have increased sensitivity to societal threats. They are more likely to be Trump supporters
dominant time period of sociocultural thoeries
1960’s-1970’s
context of sociocultural thoeries
civil rights movement
focus of sociocultural thoeries
social and cultural influences on prejudice
sociocultural view of prejudice
prejudice is a manifestation of cultural norms
according to sociocultural theories, prejudice is an expression of ___
cultural norms
Google Image Search study
countries with fewer opportunities for women tended to show fewer images of women when you did a Google Image Search for the word person
dominant time of cognitive theories
1980’s-present
context of cognitive theories
prejudice appears to be a universal phenomenon that emerges from low-level mental processes
focus of cognitive theories
how prejudice arises from ordinary aspects of cognition
cognitive view of prejudice
prejudice is a feature of the mind, not an unintended bug
cognitive theories are accredited to ___
Gordon Allport
schema theory
people organize information in their minds by unconsciously creating categories and scripts through experience or exposure
how does schema theory explain stereotypes?
explains stereotypes as “schemas gone wrong” by arguing that we naturally categorize people into groups and make generalizations about those groups
dominant time period of evolutionary theories
1990’s-present
context of evolutionary theories
prejudice appears to be a universal phenomenon that emerges from challenges in evolutionary history
focus of evolutionary theories
how prejudice might have been evolutionary adaptive
evolutionary view of prejudice
prejudice helped address social problems in our evolutionary past (and may or may not in the present)
evolutionary prediction of prejudice
across cultures, prejudice should be stronger against male outgroup members than women due to the increased probability of intergroup violence
main question of evolutionary theories
“What would’ve been advantageous to our ancestors?”
approch/avoid task
Paladino & Castelli, 2008 tested evolutionary theory with an approach/avoidance task. Participants move a joystick to approach or avoid a stimulus. People are slower to approach a negative word & avoid a positive word. People are faster to approach a positive word & avoid a negative word
Paladino & Castelli, 2008 results (Black vs. white faces)
- White participants were faster to avoid Black faces compared to white faces
- White participants had faster avoidance than approach reaction times for Black faces
Paladino & Castelli, 2008 results (Slavic vs. Italian names)
- Italian participants were faster to avoid than approach Slavic names
- Italian participants were faster to approach than avoid Italian names
main difficulty with evolutionary theory
We don’t know that these findings are related to evolution; they could be related to culture instead
dominant time period of intergroup relation theories
1970’s
context of intergroup relation theories
persistence of group conflicts in the U.S. and around the world
focus of intergroup relation theories
how social structure reinforces prejudice
intergroup relations view of prejudice
prejudice is a manifestation of relationships between groups
intergroup relations prediction of prejudice
prejudice is weaker when groups are integrated and have opportunity for friendships, compared to being segregated
Salma Mouss social trust study
Randomly assigned Iraqi Christian soccer players to teams with no Muslims or made up of 25% Muslims. Explored whether intergroup relations can be changed following new forms of contact that are
- Cooperative (training together)
- Equal (no status differences on team)
- Endorsed by community authorities (one’s church)
- Has a shared goal (win the soccer league)
Slama Mousa study results
Found that those who trained with Muslims were much more willing to train with Muslims in the future and more likely to vote for a Muslim player for an award. Being on a team that performed better improved positive outcomes. However, there were no real differences off the field
cognitive vs. intergroup theories
they aren’t mutually exclusive; they can work together
