Prejudice and Stereotyping

Question 1

What is a stereotype?

Answer 1

A belief that associates a group of people with certain traits (no such thing as a positive stereotype)

Question 2

What is prejudice?

Answer 2

A preconceived negative judgement towards persons based on their membership to a certain group
- an attitude
- includes feelings, cognitions

Question 3

What is discrimination?

Answer 3

Negative behaviors towards other groups

Question 4

What are the 3 perspectives to prejudice and discrimination?

Answer 4

1. Economic Perspective
2. Motivational Perspective
3. Cognitive Perspective

Question 5

What is realistic conflict theory?

Answer 5

Direct competition for valuable but limited resources lead to conflict and prejudice
Ex: in America competing for jobs

Question 6

What was Robbers Cave Study (eagles vs. rattlers)?

Answer 6

Made kids at summer camp compete for limited resources
Creates prejudice and stereotypes
This study was able to reverse the results and bring kids back together

Question 7

What is the economic perspective?

Answer 7

Resources are always limited and prejudiced attitudes increase in times of competition

Question 8

What is the motivational perspective?

Answer 8

Just need to put people into different categories and prejudice will naturally flow

Question 9

What is social identity theory?

Answer 9

People favor ingroups over outgroups to enhance their self-esteem

Question 10

How do people dehumanize outgroups?

Answer 10

People will associate outgroups with lower-order animals (ex: rats, dogs, apes)

Question 11

What is the cognitive perspective?

Answer 11

Stereotypes are used because they allows us to process information efficiently
Would be most likely to use them when tired, distracted, or mentally taxed

Question 12

What is an ingroup?

Answer 12

Group to which an individual belongs

Question 13

What is an outgroup?

Answer 13

Group to which an individual does not belong

Question 14

What is the ‘outgroup homogeneity effect’?

Answer 14

The tendency to see outgroup category members as all the same, while seeing ingroup members as unique

Question 15

What are the 2 explanations for ‘outgroup homogeneity effect’?

Answer 15

1. Have less opportunities for learning
2. We don’t see representative outgroup members

Question 16

Are stereotyping and prejudice inevitable?

Answer 16

Stereotypes are often activated without awareness and can operate at an “implicit” (unconscious) level

Question 17

What are the 2 components of the dissociation model?

Answer 17

Automatic and Controlled

Question 18

What is the automatic process?

Answer 18

Stereotype Activation: assumes everyone knows the stereotypes for different groups
-these stereotypes are automatically activated whenever a cue is present, regardless of personal prejudice level

Question 19

What is the controlled process?

Answer 19

Stereotype Application: once a stereotype is activated, people can use controlled processes to overcome the influence of the stereotype
- because controlled processes take motivation and effort, they can’t always be used

Question 20

What did the gun experiment done by Payne do?

Answer 20

Used “IAT” to measure automatic prejudice
Primed participants with white or Black faces and then categorized objects as guns or not

Question 21

What did the gun experiment done by Payne find?

Answer 21

When primed with Black faces, participants more quickly noticed guns
Also more likely to mistake other objects as guns

Question 22

What is a stereotype threat?

Answer 22

A self-confirming apprehension that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype

Question 23

Why does stereotype threat happen?

Answer 23

The stereotype is distracting and leaves less attention to focus on task

Question 24

How do we reduce prejudice?

Answer 24

1) Recategorization
2) Practice inhibiting stereotypes (make it a habit)
3) Increase self-control
4) Education (helps form new social norms)
5) Change social norms
6) Trust and Belonging (to reduce stereotype threat)
7) Culture
8) Contact between groups of equal status of groups, shared goal, broad social norms support contact, one-on-one interactions

Question 25

What is the common ingroup identity model?

Answer 25

Change ‘they’ to ‘we’

Question 26

What did Riek et al. find?

Answer 26

Reminded of political party –> rated other negatively
Reminded of their similarities –> rated other positively