Prejudice and Discrimination

Question 1

What are stereotypes? & what attitude components are involved?

Answer 1

simple belief/assumption based solely on their membership in a group
cognitive: thoughts about people
“AFL fans are arrogrant”

Question 2

What is prejudice? & what attitude components are involved?

Answer 2

positive/negative attitude towards an individual based solely on someone’s membership in a particular social group,
Affective: both positive or negative feelings
Cognitive: thoughts about people
“I hate AFL fans, they make me angry as they are arrogant”

Question 3

What is discrimination? & what attitude components are involved?

Answer 3

when people act on their prejudice attitudes towards a group of people.
Behaviour: positive or negative treatment to others
“I would never hire or be friends with an AFL fan”

Question 4

What are the 3 reasons why people are prejudiced?

Answer 4

1. unintentional biases
2. exposure
3. learning

Question 5

How can unintentional biases lead to prejudice? (4 biases)

Answer 5

1. Conformation bias - favouring information that fits with your existing beliefs
2. Attribution bias - attributing external factors as the cause of mistakes
3. Gender bias - preferring one gender over another
4. Conformity bias - behaving the same as others in the group

Question 6

How can exposure lead to prejudice?

Answer 6

exposure through repeated direct experience is likely going to develop a sterotype and therefore prejudice

Question 7

How can learning lead to prejudice? (via the 3 learnings)

Answer 7

children learn prejudiced attitudes from people around them via:
1. association - associating particular groups with poverty/crime
2. reinforcement - may be reinforced for telling sexist jokes as others laugh along
3. modelling - may imitate prejudices from their family

Question 8

What are the 3 effects of prejudice? (and define)

Answer 8

1. social stigma - disapproval or discrimination against a person based on their stereotype
2. internalised stigma - process where a person absorbs and becomes to believe negative messages, applying it to themself.
3. stereotype threat -situation in which people are/feel themselves to be at risk of conforming to stereotypes about their social group

Question 9

What are 4 strategies for changing attitudes and reducing prejudice?

Answer 9

1. education - programs in school to teach correct values
2. intergroup contact - ongoing group interactions, equal status
3. superordinate goals - working towards common goals that require contributions
4. direct experience - experiencing another culture/lifestyle will create understanding

Question 10

What are 3 other forms of discrimination?

Answer 10

1. reluctance to help
2. tokenism
3. reverse discrimination

Question 11

What is reluctance to help? + example

Answer 11

reluctance to help other groups achieve equal access or improve their social position by not providing assistance
e.g. poor disabled accessibility for employees

Question 12

What is tokenism?

Answer 12

deliberately giving trivial assistance to a minority group to appear inclusive/ avoid accusations of prejudice/discrimination.
e.g. employing 1 woman in mostly-male organisation

Question 13

What is reverse discrimination?

Answer 13

creating prejudice in favour of a minority group
e.g. 50% SA police recruits must be available for females