Prejudice

Question 1

Categorization
- How does learning from our past help with everyday situations?

Answer 1

Short cut that is necessary to reduce the complexity of the social world

Helps us learn what’s good and bad to quickly learn what to approach and avoid

Question 2

Social categorization
- It can create what kinds of attitudes?
- Major ways to categorize? (4)

Answer 2

Categorization based on perceived groups in society
- Can create attitudes which influence individuals to react to a situation in a similar way they did previously
- Race, gender, age, sexual orientation

Question 3

How do we perceive outgroups and ingroups?

Ougroup homogeneity
Ingroup bias
- Why do we do these?

Answer 3

Outgroup - Share similar characteristics, motives, features
Ingroup - Unique individuals who share 1-2 common features

Outgroup homogeneity - Idea that all outgroup members are alike
Ingroup bias - Idea that all ingroup members are distinct
- Simplify our social enviro + enhance our self-concept

Question 4

What are the problems of categorization? (4)

Answer 4

We form categories automatically and use them automatically

We over-categorize

We can often do it wring

We can misinterpret categories

Question 5

Stereotypes

Answer 5

Belief or association that links a whole group if ppl with certain traits
- Automatic activation
- Can affect people even if they don’t endorse them
- Is associated w/ emotional responses

Question 6

Discrimination
- Social reproduction
- Institutional bias

Answer 6

Inappropriate and unjustified treatment of people based solely on their group membership
- Many societal institutions can transmit bias, which can impact social norms

Institutional bias: Discriminatory practices and policies in large institutions

Question 7

Sexism
Gender stereotypes

How do they differ?

Answer 7

Bias and discrimination based on a set of beliefs claiming real or alleged diffs between women and men

Suggests humans can be understood or judged on the basis of essential characteristics of the individual’s gender
- Usually based on traditional roles
- Exaggerates diffs between and overlooks diffs within gender groups

Gender stereotypes are more prescriptive than descriptive
- Indicates what may ppl in a given culture believe men and women should be

Question 8

Ambivalent sexism
Hostile sexism
Benevolent sexism

What is the correlation between hostile and benevolent sexism?

Answer 8

Contradictions in stereotypes
- Ex: Stereotypes of women are more positive than men but are less valued in important domains

Negative, resentful beliefs and feelings about women’s abilities, value, and ability to challenge men’s power

Affectionate, chivalrous, but potentially patronizing beliefs and feelings that women need and deserve protection

They tend to be positively correlated

Question 9

Where is discrimination most likely to be used?
- Does it tend to be direct or indirect?

Answer 9

In private settings (to avoid embarrassment or loss of social standing)
Used indirectly

Question 10

Social norms study (Crandall, Eshleman, O’Brien):
- Asked participants to rate 105 groups of people
- Group 1: Rated how acceptable in society it was to have negative feelings toward each group
- Group 2: Rated their own feelings towards the groups

Answer 10

Found reported level of prejudice was correlated to normative appropriateness of prejudice

Question 11

Motivations to respond without prejudiced
- Internal motivation
- External motivation

What was found about non-prejudiced high external motivation people on how they’re influenced?

Answer 11

Internal - Strongly held beliefs
- Results from standards that are personally important and non-prejudiced

External - How motivated you are to act based on what everyone else is doing

Were the most likely to be influenced by stereotypes in public

Question 12

Indirect/Implicit measures
- Advantage?

(Prejudice)

Answer 12

Measure attitudes by subtle behavioural and physiological indicators

Advantage: Doesn’t require self reports (which are under control of the respondent)

Question 13

Measure of the implicit association test:
- Response latency
- Congruent vs Incongruent

Answer 13

How long it takes to decide if something is good or bad
- Looks at automatic/unconscious associations
- IAT measures strength of association between social category and valence

Congruent: In line w/ stereotype
Incongruent: Opposes stereotype

Question 14

Why are stereotypes activated?

Answer 14

Difficult to give up, especially bcuz they’re often under conscious awareness

Cognitive dissonance is activated bcuz:
- We want to perceive we’re correct
- And a stereotype helps us perceive that we are

Question 15

Illusory correlation

Answer 15

Joint occurrence of two distinctive events
- Attracts more attention and causes faulty impressions

Question 16

4 basic social-psychological causes of prejudice:
- Economic + political competition/conflict
- Displaced aggression (Realistic conflict theory, Scapegoating)
- Maintenance of status or self-image (Social identity theory)
- Conformity to existing social norms

Answer 16

Prejudiced attitudes tend to increase when groups are in conflict over mutually exclusive goals

Realistic conflict theory: Resentment can arise because of a perceived zero-sums fate; Only one group wind and the other loses
Scapegoating: Process of blaming innocent and powerless outgroups for our troubles (Especially seen in demagogues (political leaders who seek power by exploiting ppl’s prejudices/fears/resentment and channeling them onto scapegoats))

When a person’s social status is low or declining, they are likely to be prejudiced
- Social identity theory: We’re motivated to maintain a positive self-concept so we compare ingroups favourably to outgroups

Law and custom of a society’s institutions can foster prejudice by impacting social norms

Question 17

Self-fulfilling prophecy
Stereotype threat

Answer 17

When we expect something to happen, it often does

Experience of anxiety or concern in a situation where person has potential to confirm a negative stereotype about their social group; Usually results in them doing it

Question 18

How do people tend to blame targets of prejudice?

Answer 18

Attribute personal responsibility to the target for any inequitable outcome that’s difficult to explain

Question 19

Why do information campaigns to reduce prejudice usually not work?

What are other ways to reduce dissonance?
- Contact hypothesis

Answer 19

Ppl are not inclined to sit still and take in info that’s dissonant w/ their beliefs and attitudes

Contact hypothesis: By bringing prejudiced ppl in direct contact w/ real human beings, they encounter them instead of the stereotypes instead, leading to greater mutual understanding and friendship
- Must make sure they’re in a situation with equal status, equal goals, are cooperating successfully, and is supported by society/law/customs + is understanding to each other

Question 20

Interdependence
- Benefits of the jigsaw classroom?

Answer 20

Situation in which individuals need each other to succeed in reaching a mutual goal

Since it promotes interdependence, it reduces need for competition, reducing stereotyping and prejudice
- Motivated students to help others in their small, racially mixed, cooperative groups bcuz it helps them instead