Social Categorisation and Prejudice

Question 1

Category:

Answer 1

Collections of instances that have a family resemblance

Fuzzy sets of features organised around a prototype

Question 2

Prototypes:

Answer 2

Cognitive representation of typical defining features of a category

Question 3

Categories not rigid but fuzzy:

Answer 3

More or less typical of category
Depending on prototype
Categorisation of less typical members more difficult

Question 4

Categorisation:

Answer 4

Categorise others in terms of group belonging (in groups vs out groups)
Forms basis of stereotypes
Our group homogeneity effect

Question 5

Stereotypes:

Answer 5

Hogg and Vaughan:

Widely shared and simplified evaluative image of a social group and its members

Question 6

Categorisation and stereotypes:

Answer 6

Save cognitive energy
Clarifies and refined perception of the world
Maintain a positive self esteem

Question 7

Saves cognitive energy:

Answer 7

Saves time and cognitive processing

Simplify how we think about the world

Question 8

Clarifies and refined perception of the world:

Answer 8

Once category activated tend to see members as possessing all traits of stereotype
Reducing uncertainty predict social world

Question 9

Maintain positive self esteem

Answer 9

Motivational function for social identity and self concept

Through social comparison with less competent others

Question 10

Informational processing:

Answer 10

Temporal primacy
Perceptual salience
Chronic accessibility

Question 11

Stereotypes illusory correlation:

Answer 11

Cognitive exaggeration of the degree of co occurrence of 2 stimuli / events or perception of a co occurrence where none exists
Associative meaning
Paired distinctiveness

Question 12

Stereotype threat:

Answer 12

Feeling that we will be judged and treated in terms of negative stereotypes of our group and that will inadvertently confirm these stereotypes though our behaviour

Question 13

Self fulfilling prophecy:

Answer 13

Expectation and assumptions influence our interaction that person and eventually change heir behaviour in the line with our expectations

Question 14

Prejudice:

Answer 14

Strong highly accessible negative attitude dominated by cognitive bias and negative stereotypes

Question 15

Discrimination:

Answer 15

Behaviour based on unjust treatment of certain groups

Question 16

3 kinds:

Answer 16

Reluctance to help
Tokenism
Reverse discrimination

Question 17

Dovido et al found:

Answer 17

Decline of racist attitudes over last 60 years

Question 18

Devine and Elliot:

Answer 18

Still racist attitudes in 45%

Specific stereotypes changed but negativity remains

Question 19

Racism changed in form:

Answer 19

Conflict between evaluation towards or group and values of equality and egalitarian attitudes
Aversive / discomfort guilt and shame

Question 20

Sexism:

Answer 20

Stereotypical gender beliefs

Sex roles in society

Question 21

Stereotypical gender beliefs:

Answer 21

Cross cultural generality

Question 22

Sex roles in society:

Answer 22

Glass ceiling effect

Question 23

Types of sexism:

Answer 23

Hostile sexism
Benevolent sexism
Ambivalent sexism

Question 24

Where does prejudice come from?

Answer 24

Adorno et al authoritarian personality predispose individuals to be prejudiced
Autocratic and punitive child rearing
California F scale

Question 25

Problems with prejudice and personality approach:

Answer 25

Underestimates importance of social situation
Does not explain uniformity
Historical specificity

Question 26

Historical specificity:

Answer 26

Increase in racism can occur over the space of a few years too quickly to develop whole generations of authoritarians

Question 27

Social dominance theory:

Answer 27

People who desire own group to be dominant and superior to our groups high social dominance orientation