Social Categorisation, Stereotyping and Prejudice Flashcards

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1
Q

of the two identities, which elicits stereotyping?

A

social identity

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2
Q

define stereotype
Hogg & Vaughan (2014, p.47)

A

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

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3
Q

how are stereotypes brought about?

A

born out of the group memberships individuals have

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4
Q

define category

A

collection of instances that have a family resemblance organised around a prototype

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5
Q

define prototypes

A

theory that suggests there are typical defining features of a particular object

cognitive representation of typical defining features of a category

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6
Q

explain what is meant by ‘categories are ‘fuzzy’, not ‘rigid’?

A
  • some things can be more or less typical of a category
  • all depends of the prototype
  • categorisation of less typical items becomes more difficult
  • categories can move about
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7
Q

what do stereotypes effect?

A
  • behaviour
  • responses
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8
Q

identify reasons as to why we categorise

A
  • save cognitive energy
  • clarifies and refines perception of the world
  • maintain positive self-esteem
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9
Q

explain ‘save cognitive energy’ as reason why we categorise

A
  • categorising simplifies how we think of world
  • simple = save time and cognitive processing
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10
Q

explain ‘clarifies and refines perception of the world’ as reason why we categorise

A
  • when category activated -> all members of that category seen as possessing those traits
  • helps us predict social world
  • helps reduce uncertainty
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11
Q

explain ‘maintain positive self-esteem’ as reason why we categorise

A
  • categorisation used as motivational function for social identity & self-concept
  • because feeling more certain about world
  • feel more secure in yourself, increasing self-concept
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12
Q

what is the stereotype illusory correlation?

A
  • explains where negative stereotypes may occur
  • they occur when people wrongly pair minority groups with negative events/behaviours
  • happens because they are both distinct
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13
Q

outline Hamilton & Sherman (1996) study into illusory correlation

A
  • asked White American ppts to estimate arrest rate of various types of American
  • African Americans estimated to have a higher arrest rate than they actually did
  • people inaccurately think two things are correlated
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14
Q

identify some effects of stereotyping

A
  • behavioural assimilation
  • stereotype threat
  • prejudice and discrimination
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15
Q

explain behavioural assimilation

A
  • occurs as effects of stereotyping
  • stereotype influences our perception as well as behaviour
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16
Q

explain stereotype threat

A
  • effects of stereotyping
  • threat of negative evaluations leads to adhering to that stereotype
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17
Q

outline Behavioural Assimilation (Bargh et al., 1996)

A
  • ppts asked to make sentence out of randomly ordered words

IV = two types of word types
- words associated with elderly stereotypes (e.g.: grey, old, lonely, wise)
- neutral words (unrelated to age)

DV = time taken for ppts to reach exit
ppts directed to the exit
confederate timed ppts

FINDINGS
- ppts primed with elderly words showed behaviour consistent with elderly stereotype (moved slower etc.)

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18
Q

identify an issue with studies that prime stereotypes

A

don’t always replicate

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19
Q

explain the issue with studies that prime stereotypes

A

don’t always replicate

  • may be due to effects = not universal
  • people might need to CARE about the subject being primed
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20
Q

explain Papies (2015) findings into priming stereotypes

A
  • found people who want to become thinner = more likely to make healthier food choices
  • when primed with words on menu like ‘diet’, ‘thin’ etc.
  • only works in people who’s central goal = healthy diet
  • priming does not make everyone avoid fattening foods
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21
Q

outline Steel & Aronson (1995) explanation of stereotype threat

A
  • negative stereotypes define groups
  • we behave in line with negative stereotypes of group to fit in
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22
Q

how can the stereotype threat be eliminated according to Alter & al, 2010)

A
  • altering perspective
  • reframing low expectations as a challenge rather than threat
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23
Q

define prejudice

A
  • strong, highly accessible negative attitude
  • dominated by cognitive bias and negative stereotypes
24
Q

define behaviours related to discrimination

A
  • behaviour based on unjust treatment of certain groups

includes:
- reluctance to help
- tokenism
- reverse discrimination

25
Q

define intergroup bias

A
  • showing favouritism to in-group members, people most similar to you
  • this breeds prejudice and negativity to those that are different
  • links to discrimination towards those that are different
26
Q

explain ‘reluctance to help’ as behaviours related to discrimination

(Gaetner & Dovidio, 1977)

A
  • found ppts were more reluctant to help minority member than their own group
  • when faced in emergency
  • only occurred when other were present
27
Q

explain ‘tokenism’ as behaviours related to discrimination

(Monin & Miller, 2001)

A
  • process of favouring member of minority group inconsistently
  • researchers found ppts who were given opportunity to hire well-qualified minority candidates = MORE WILLING to discriminate against other minorities
  • because they had already ‘proved’ they were not prejudiced
28
Q

explain ‘reverse discrimination’ as behaviours related to discrimination

(Dutton & Lake, 1973)

A
  • openly displaying pro-minority behaviour as a way to deflect accusations of prejudice
  • researchers found that those accused of prejudice gave more money to a minority member when feeling threatened
29
Q

what did Dovidio et al. (1996) suggest about racist attitudes over the year?

A
  • proposed a decline in racist attitudes over 60 years
30
Q

what did Quillian & Lee (2022) suggest about racist attitudes?

A
  • found that hiring discrimination among 170,000 applications for minority groups NOT fallen over past decade
  • specific stereotypes = changed
  • negativity remains
  • racism seen in new modern form
31
Q

identify the three theories of subtle prejudice

A

1/ modern or symbolic racism

2/ ambivalent racism

3/ ambivalent sexism

32
Q

outline the ‘modern or symbolic racism’ theory of subtle prejudice

A
  • idea that you blame the victim
  • support of policies that happen to disadvantage racial minorities
  • more subtle
33
Q

outline the ‘ambivalent racism’ theory of subtle prejudice

A
  • the same people scoring high scores on pro-black attitudes also score high scores on anti-black attitudes
  • score high on pro-Black attitudes = pity for disadvantage
  • score high on anti-Black attitudes = hostility towards those groups of people
  • people having both attitudes at same time
34
Q

outline the ‘ambivalent sexism’ theory of subtle prejudice

A
  • hostile sexism sees women in very negative light
    (e.g.: women seen as too easily offended)
  • benevolent sexism sees women as apparently positive
    (e.g.: women seen as ladylike, in the kitchen)
35
Q

identify the 2 causes of prejudice

A
  • historical/economical
  • psychological
36
Q

explain the historical/economical cause of prejudice

A

linked to the notion of frustration of aggression

37
Q

explain the psychological cause of prejudice

A
  • to do with individual differences in personality
  • to do with group processes (difference between the in-group and the out-group)
38
Q

explain the notion of frustration-aggression hypothesis

A

Dollard et al., 1939
- frustration causes aggression

  • psychic energy builds up
  • build up needs outlet
  • find scapegoat to release frustration (e.g.: minority group)
  • links to Freudian notion of ‘displacement’
  • when angry, we misdirect anger
  • historical context = what is happening in society in that moment
39
Q

outline the stages of the frustration-aggression hypothesis

A
  • identification of personal goals
  • psychic energy activated
  • frustration of goal achieved
  • source of frustration too powerful
  • scapegoat found -> catharsis achieved by displacing aggression
40
Q

apply a real life example to the frustration-aggression hypothesis

A

1920’s/30’s Germany and Anti-Semitism

personal goals
- set by leaders to achieve greatness for Germany

psychic energy activated
- emotional arousal of German people from WWI

frustration of goal achievement
- defeat by Western Allies
- treatment in Treaty of Versailles

source of frustration too powerful
- economic and political crisis

scapegoat found -> catharsis achieved by displacing aggression
- antisemitism of 1920’s/30’s

41
Q

outline Hovland & Sears (1940) study into evidence for the frustration-aggression hypothesis

A
  • study looked into cotton workers
  • found over 50 year periods, the price of cotton and lynchings toward black workers
  • when price of cotton fell (frustration increased), number of lynchings increased (displaced aggression)
  • suggested that because we felt frustrated, they found an outlet to express anger in minority group
42
Q

explain the psychological cause of prejudice: Authoritarian personality

A
  • theory that some people are predisposed to be prejudiced towards minority groups
43
Q

identify some ‘Authoritarian’ personality traits

A
  • extreme reactions to authority figures
  • obsession with rank and status
  • tendency to displace anger
44
Q

how is Authoritarian personality developed?

A
  • related to childhood/upbringing
  • harsh parental discipline
45
Q

outline evidence into ‘Authoritarian’ personality
Adorno et al., (1950)

A
  • conducted retrospective interviews about childhood
  • ppts then had to fill out questionnaire ‘F scale’

‘F’ scale measured:
- anti-semitism
- ethnocentrism
- political & economic conservatism
- potential for fascism (right-wing ideas)

FINDINGS:
- correlation between harshness of upbringing and measures of prejudice

46
Q

identify issues of the ‘authoritarian personality’ explanation

A

correlational evidence
- correlation does not equal causation

poor methodology
- relies on memory of upbringing
- not all string upbringings = fascist
- self-report

ignores social context
- need to take into account history and culture

47
Q

outline the social learning explanation for the cause of prejudice (Tajfel, 1981)

A

argued hatred and suspicion of certain groups = learnt early in life

48
Q

outline evidence for social learning explanation of prejudice (Barrett & Short, 1992)

A
  • studied English children (4-5 years old)
  • these children ranked French and Spanish as most liked, followed by Italians and Germans were liked least

parental prejudices:
suggested this is due to modelling
- child witnessing expression of racial hatred towards particular group

suggested this is due to conditioning
- parent appears to approve/go along of child showing racist behaviour

49
Q

outline the conformity explanation for psychological cause of prejudice

A
  • conforming to group norms
  • group norms = maybe more prejudiced than others
50
Q

outline evidence for the conformity explanation for psychological cause of prejudice
(Minard, 1952)

A
  • investigated attitudes of White miners

FOUND
- 60% readily switched between racism and non-racism
- depending on whether situational norms encouraged/discouraged prejudice

51
Q

Explain the social identity theory
(psychological causes of prejudice: group relations theory)

A
  • based on idea that we have social identity AND personal identity
  • identity = made up of how we categorise ourselves in terms of social groups
  • we can see our in-group = similar to us and out-group = different to us
  • leads to in-group and out-group differences
  • intergroup differentiation can lead to depersonalisation
  • can lead to in-group bias
52
Q

identify reasons social identity is important

A
  • helps maintain self-esteem
  • social bonding (findings those around you)
53
Q

identify reasons why social identity is a problem

A
  • there are implications for interaction with out-group members
  • can lead to prejudice and stereotyping
54
Q

outline study that looks into the role of group based differences and how it leads to prejudice

(Jane Elliot, 1968)

A
  • aimed to highlight effects of prejudice to school children
  • one day blue eyed children = inferior
  • had to wear collar, lost privileges
  • found that brown eyed children = very quick to derogate those with blue eyes
55
Q

outline Akrami et al. (2011) findings into whether sexism comes from either personality, social-psychology perspective or both

A
  • found sexism = best explained by considering both personality and social-psychology constructs
  • it is necessary to integrate various approaches to explain prejudice