Social Categorization Flashcards
This chapter is purely about _______.
stereotypes
The least effort principle
People generally seek the minimum amount of energy needed to satisfy goals
Cognitive Miser Model
Brain gives little attention to tasks for long times
Ex. working a 12 hr shift leads to inefficient work
Schema Theory
Sensation ➡️ Attention ➡️ Recall ➡️ Activate necessary schema ➡️ Response
Schema
Active organization of past experiences
What kinds of things do people categorize?
Everything
Person schemas
Stereotypes
Social categorization is most commonly based on _______.
immediate visual stimuli
Schema consequences
Affects memory, perception, attention, and organization
Outgroup homogeneity
“We should stereotype you, because all you people are the same”
Ingroup has only an abstract understanding of the outgroup
Minimal groups
Groups in name only, these irrelevant groups also produce ingroup-outgroup mentality
Ultimate attribution error
The explanation you create for the cause of someone’s behavior is an attribution
The ultimate error is making different attributions towards different groups for the same behavior
Illusory correlations
When people see two distinct (rare) events, they tend to overestimate their cooccurrence
Social roles theory
We assume people have characteristics of the roles they play
Ex. Men are expected to be breadwinners; this requires confidence; men are confident (stereotype)
Asian countries have better math education, so we think all
Asians are good at math
A. Ultimate Attribution Error
B. Illusory correlation
C. Social roles theory
D. Outgroup homogeneity effect
illusory correlation (pseudocontingency)
Black kids who misbehave are bad kids; white kids who
misbehave are good kids in bad situations
A. Ultimate Attribution Error
B. Illusory correlation
C. Social roles theory
D. Outgroup homogeneity effect
Ultimate Attribution Error
Women historically spend more time with kids, so we think
they’re more nurturing and enjoy childcare (and men aren’t
good at and don’t like childcare)
A. Ultimate Attribution Error
B. Illusory correlation
C. Social roles theory
D. Outgroup homogeneity effect
Social roles theory
We are more likely to form stereotype about groups we don’t
interact with much
A. Ultimate Attribution Error
B. Illusory correlation
C. Social roles theory
D. Outgroup homogeneity effect
Outgroup homogeneity effect
Why do people have stereotypes if they can have negative consequences?
Convenience, predictability
Ego-defensive function
Protect self-esteem by derogating other groups
Social adjustment function
Fundamental need to belong; the norms and expectations from social groups sometimes direct people how to think and feel about others
E.g. laughing at a racist joke you don’t really believe to make people like you
directing comments to the oldest male member of a
group (assume they are the boss)
cognitive function (don’t know who to talk to,
and stereotype gives an answer)
telling a joke about old people on Facebook to make
people laugh
social adjustment (making people like them)
thinking that you don’t need to listen to your doctor’s
negative feedback because of their Southern accent
ego defensive (makes you feel better about
yourself)
choosing a super hero toy and a princess toy for a
little boy and girl they don’t know well
cognitive function (helps you make a decision)
shouting sexist slurs at a female player who beats
them at Call of Duty
ego defensive (makes you feel better about
yourself)
Are stereotypes consistent or inconsistent?
Inconsistent, they are inconsistent across cultures and time
Devine’s dissociation model
- Categorize people into social categories
- Activation: stereotype becomes available
- Application: stereotype is used to make judgements
People detect each other’s probable race, gender, age, etc. within _______.
milliseconds of meeting
Context Matters:
Phenotypicality
How well does someone fit the essential features of some category? (Prototypical model)
Context Matters:
Situationality
Use categories to identify particular dimensions on which one differs from their social context
E.g. in a room full of men and one woman, we are more likely to categorize her based on gender than something else
Context Matters:
Prejudice
Increased prejudice towards groups causes attention towards said groups, leading to overcategorization of these groups
