Lecture 8: Forms of Prejudice l

Question 1

continuum of prejudice (from blatant to subtle)

Answer 1

old-fashioned prejudice -> symbolic prejudice -> aversive prejudice -> ambivalent prejudice -> implicit prejudice

Question 2

when was old-fashioned racism present?

Answer 2

Reconstruction- 1960s

Question 3

3 key ideas of old-fashioned racism

Answer 3

1. Whites’ absolute belief in their biological superiority over other races
2. A firm belief in racial separation and subjugation
3. The use of the government to establish a system of segregation and other forms of discrimination

Question 4

racism over the past half-century

Answer 4

racial prejudice has taken more subtle forms either in attitude or behaviour

Question 5

why were theories of symbolic and aversive prejudice developped?

Answer 5

Theories of symbolic and aversive prejudice were originally developed to explain anti-Black prejudice on the part of white people, but have since been extended to other fields

Question 6

do theories of symbolic racism assume everyone is prejudiced?

Answer 6

Theories of symbolic and aversive prejudice assume that some prejudice resides within most white people in some fashion

Question 7

when did social norms shift toward the belief in principles of equality?

Answer 7

post wwll

Question 8

what people have accepted the norm of equality most?

Answer 8

politicially liberal & younger people

Question 9

does old fashioned prejudice still exist today?

Answer 9

yes, but it isn’t as prevalent

Question 10

Lee Atwater’s Southern Strategy

Answer 10

type of dog-whistle politics that relied on race-related policies designed to uphold the racial hierarchy, without overtly being racist

Question 11

dog-whistle politics

Answer 11

underlying message that is only understood by some

Question 12

welfare queen

Answer 12

common trope that highlighted people who were allegedly taking advantage of the welfare system

Question 13

symbolic prejudice is also called

Answer 13

modern prejudice

Question 14

symbolic prejudice

Answer 14

A set of beliefs about Black people as an abstract group rather than as individuals. Beliefs portray members of stigmatized groups as morally inferior because they violate traditional values like hard work

Question 15

what might a symbolically prejudiced person say about the accusation that they’re racist?

Answer 15

“It’s not about race per se; it’s a social political/issue”

Question 16

5 main beliefs of symbolic racism

Answer 16

1. Racial prejudice/discrimination no longer exist (or are not barriers to success)
2. Differences in economic status results from a lack of motivation
3. Anger over inequality and unfair treatment is unjustified
4. Rather than working to get ahead, Black people seek special favours from the government
5. Black people are now getting more than they deserve economically

Question 17

distribution of symbolic prejudice

Answer 17

positively skewed (most people do not display modern racism)

Question 18

paradox of symbolic racism

Answer 18

people with symbolic prejudice endorse racial equality in principle, but oppose policies that could bring it about

Question 19

two types of equality

Answer 19

equality of opportunity & outcome

Question 20

equality of opportunity

Answer 20

everyone deserves the same chance to succeed

Question 21

do people high in modern racism agree with equality of opportunity?

Answer 21

yes

Question 22

equality of outcome

Answer 22

everyone should have an equal share of successes.

Question 23

do people high in modern racism agree with equality of outcome?

Answer 23

no

Question 24

criticism of symbolic racism

Answer 24

how do you distinguish anti-Black prejudice from principled ideological views?

Question 25

prime minister of malaysia controversy

Answer 25

Mahathir Mohamad, claims that discriminatory laws are not prejudiced, but are rather an attempt to make Malays work harder, demonstrating symbolic prejudice

Question 26

differences b/n symbolic & old-fashioned racism

Answer 26

1. Moves away from biological superiority
2. Focus on outgroup violation of shared cultural values
3. Justification of inequality and unfair treatment due to negative internal characteristics of outgroup

Question 27

aversive racism

Answer 27

Having positive explicit attitudes towards Black people while holding negative implicit attitudes toward Black people

Question 28

partner discomfort study

Answer 28

non-Black male participants had to interact with either a white or Black confederate while doing a word-find task. Found that people with aversive prejudice had higher heart rates, which indicative of them being more uncomfortable and anxious around minorities

Question 29

are aversive racists egalitarian?

Answer 29

they see themselves as egalitarian

Question 30

when do aversive racists discriminate?

Answer 30

They discriminate when there is unclear “correct” behaviour

Question 31

ambivalent racism

Answer 31

Negative and positive feelings about a group

Question 32

how do non-Black people see Black people?

Answer 32

disadvantaged and culturally deviant

Question 33

what kind of response does viewing Black people as disadvantaged elicit?

Answer 33

positive sympathy response

Question 34

what kind of response does viewing Black people as culturally deviant elicit?

Answer 34

negative aversion response

Question 35

cognitive dissonance

Answer 35

people try to resolve states of uncertainty

Question 36

what happens when ambivalently prejudiced people become aware of their ambivalence?

Answer 36

they experience cognitive dissonance and become motivated to reduce this conflict by either increasing positivity or negativity

Question 37

response amplification

Answer 37

more extreme behaviour towards a stigmatized group
(More positive when receiving good information & More negative when receiving bad information)

Question 38

ambivalent persuasion study

Answer 38

measured ambivalence towards Indigenous peoples, then gave participants either pro or anti-Indigenous land grants. They then measured attitudes again and found that ambivalent people swung more extremely to one side or the other

Question 39

ambivalent prejudice study

Answer 39

participants interacted with a control confederate or a confederate who was facially stigmatized and their physiological reactions were tracked afterwards. Participants high in cardiovascular threat showed greater behavioural positivity towards the confederate with the birthmark