LECTURE 5: STEREOTYPING Flashcards
What are stereotypes?
A stereotype is an overgeneralized expectation of what members of a group are like
* Social group: people who are women, gay, Black, Asian, disabled, Indigenous
* Occupation: leaders, data analysts, sex workers, professors
* Grounded in observations of everyday life (your life, media)
* Cultural stereotypes: shared beliefs within a cultural context
Why do stereotypes exist?
- Type of Heuristic: automatic, cognitive shortcut
- Help us fill in the blanks (make assumptions)
- Activated when encounter a group label or member
- Quick judgements & expectations
What are some archetypes & where do they come from?
- Blonde – women, stupid, mean
- Jock – dumb, player, man, alpha-male
- Geek – male, videogames
- Archetypes mainly come from media – creates & perpetuates stereotypes
How are racio-ethnic groups portrayed in the media?
Examples:
Latina - spicy, sexy, flirtatious
Black men/women - loud, aggressive, angry
Indigenous - stoic, silent
- Representation is growing in the media; more visibility of ethnic groups
- lack of counter stereotypical portrays
What is the stereotype content model?
Idea that we judge people based on 2 dimensions:
- Warmth - how much do I like this group?
- important for interpersonal relationships - Competence - how much do i respect the group?
- important for tasks
EXAMPLE:
American students view elderly people & housewives as high warmth & low competence
What is stereotype activation?
Automatic activation of a stereotype when you encounter members of groups (or cues)
-enhanced accessibility of stereotype-associated info
-occurs unintentionally; lack of cognitive resources
-once activated, stereotypes are easily applied to perceptions & evaluations of others
What is stereotype application?
the conscious use of the stereotype in perceiving, evaluating, and treating others
Individuals from groups who are stereotyped as more competent are granted higher status: receive positive evaluations, and exert influence than those with lower status
What is the relevance of stereotypes for organizations? Use the example of gender & teaching evaluations.
Negative & positive stereotypes of group members’ abilities can be applied to affect:
1. Selection decisions
2. pay
3. promotion opportunities
4. performance evaluations
STUDY:
looked at gender stereotypes & performance evaluations for TAs of an online course
IV - TA gender name (M v F)
DV - evaluation
FINDINGS:
* Male – higher teacher evaluations than the perceived female
* Teachers given high evaluations when perceived TA as being a man
* WHY?
○ Women stereotyped as warm & low in competence; providing feedback is not helpful
○ Men stereotyped as intelligent – feedback deemed more trustworthy
- Actual TA gender perceived as having no effect (similar ratings given to both)
How do stereotypes get confirmed/stick?
- Confirmation Bias - favour info that is consistent w/ previously existing beliefs
- ignore info that challenges beliefs
- interpret ambiguous info to support existing ideas
- Self-fulfilling prophecy - when a false belief leads us to act in ways that lead to its confirmation
- treat others in a way that is consistency w/ our expectations
How do stereotypes affect the target/self? Use the stereotype threat effect study on performance of stereotyped group members.
Stereotype Threat: risk for confirming a negative stereotype about one’s group
- Can lead to underperformance
-due to cognitive load: resources diverted from task to worry
STUDY:
- Groups: stereotyped group vs not
- manipulate level of threat: e.g. make group membership salient vs. not
FINDINGS:
* No Threat – taking a test but told there is not differences on the test; both score the same
* Threat – take same test but told the test is diagnostic of their ability & told to disclose demographic; white performs better than the black group
- Black Participants – performed better in no stereotype threat
- White – performs a bit better; experiences stereotype lift – positively stereotypes group performs better
What are the consequences of stereotype threat?
Underperformance can:
- confirm stereotypes
- close doors for people
- motivates people to avoid being negatively stereotyped in the future
How can we avoid stereotyping/avoid being stereotyped?
How can we avoid stereotyping:
- be intrinsically motivated to be non-prejudiced towards that group
- learn new associations (surround yourself w/ diverse people)
- think of counter stereotypical exemplars
Avoid being stereotyped:
- become aware of the stereotype & its history
-provide others w/ counter-stereotypical info
-advocacy fo IEDI
-show individuality
Explain the experimental effect of stereotype activation (rap music study).
What effect does violent rap music have on how people judge Black targets?
- Manipulated music: violent vs. control condition
- Read about and made judgments of targets
- Manipulated target race: White or Black
- Violent condition– Black seen as more violent than white target; perceived as less qualified than white
- Control condition – both targets the rated the same in terms of violence & qualifications
- Control – black – identifies both as equally violent; white – sees black target as more violent
- Violent – both group shows bias (black more violent)
- Interpretation – not about prejudice/bias; stereotypes affect everyone’s judgements
What do the findings of the rap music study tell us?
- Cultural stereotypes affects application depending if there is activation taking place
- (e.g., exposed to rap music, bias initiated)
