Prejudice

Question 1

The Authoritarian Personality (Adorno et al, 1950)

Answer 1

individualistic approach:
- Influenced by Freud, early childhood experiences are important
- Frustration is displaced
- High scores on f-scale linked with ps having strict fathers
- Example of Question ‘obedience ad respect for authority are the most important virtues children should learn’

Question 2

Sample RWA scale items

Answer 2

• Correlation with this scale, homophobias, sexism and racism
  -‘women should have to obey husbands’

Question 3

Sample SDO scale items

Answer 3

• Measures the extent to which people believe there are winners and losers in society, there has to be differences in society
• Provides evidence for there being a personality dimension to prejudice
• ’ It’s a good thing that certain groups are at the top and other groups are at the bottom’

Question 4

US Stereotypes of the Japanese

Answer 4

• US originally believed Japanese people were intelligent however, after the Second World War, their opinions shifted to them being Sly.

Question 5

Realistic Conflict Theory

Answer 5

• Summer camp studies - created competition of scarce resources between groups of children in summer camp
• All participants became violent and physically dominant which means that personality isn’t an explanatio as all children behaved the same way.
  Sherif et al

Question 6

Evaluation Of Realistic Conflict Theory

Answer 6

• There is less prejudice when a group is working towards the same thing i.e. NHS team of staff on the same ward

Question 7

Social Identity Theory
Tajfel et al

Answer 7

‘minimal group studies’
- we prefer groups which we are in.

Question 8

Social Identity Theory
Basical assumptions

Answer 8

• Prejudice and Conflict occur when social identity is threatened by outer groups (defensive reactions)
• When people in groups strive to be positively distinct from others and perceive collective injustice

Question 9

Biases in social information processing

Answer 9

• All information biases lead to prejudice
• Prejudice reduction work can be done with children to avoid biases
• Biases influence the way we view the world
  Stereotype biases: how a female should look
  Memory Distortions: Black people viewed as more aggressive than white people
  Ultimate attribution error: attributing someone’s actions to their personality rather than external influences