Social Identity and Intergroup Relations

Question 1

Define and give examples for Stereotypes

Answer 1

• Impressions of groups that people form by associating the groups with particular characteristics
• Ex.

Question 2

Define and give examples for Prejudice

Answer 2

• Positive or negative evaluations of a social group or its members

Question 3

Define and give examples for Discrimination

Answer 3

• Positive or negative behaviour directed toward a social group or its members

Question 4

Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, 1971)

Answer 4

• We derive self-esteem from our valued group memberships
• Share and adopt opinions with our in-group to feel validated
• Develop belief that “outgroups” are inferior

Question 5

Explain self-categorisation

Answer 5

• Seeing oneself as a member of a social group
• Often associate ourselves with several social groups

Question 6

Basking in reflected glory

Answer 6

• Group membership influences self-esteem
• When our group wins, we feel pride in that win
• ex. You’re an LFC fan and they won a match, you feel proud and you’d say “We won” instead of “They won”

Question 7

What is the impact of Social Identity Theory on attitudes/opinions?

Answer 7

Changes how we perceive members of in-groups and outgroups

Question 8

In-groups vs Out-groups

Answer 8

In-group:
- Members of our social group
- View them as similar to us, as well as individually unique and novel

Outgroup:
- Members of another social group
- View them as dissimilar, as well as individually similar/homogenous (e.g. stereotypes)

Question 9

In-group favouritism

Answer 9

• Initial positivity towards in-group based on membership alone
• Anything negative about group members could reflect poorly on you

Question 10

Outgroup Homogeneity Effect

Answer 10

• Outgroups treated more negatively

Out-group Homogeneity Effect:
- Seeing out-group as less diverse than in-group
- Fewer out-group members known, and interactions with out-group more constrained

Question 11

Impact of minority vs majority status

Answer 11

• We use group memberships to emphasise what is novel about ourselves, which may bolster certain group identities
• If our in-group is a minority, that may be central to us
• If our in-group is a majority, we may discount that membership
• Upward/downward comparison
• If majority performance is good = we feel bad
• If majority performance is bad = we feel good
• Minority performance is completely ignored by majority
• The opposite applies to minority group members

Question 12

Explain the Minimal Group Paradigm

Answer 12

• Groups can be made arbitrarily
• Allows to study effects of groups in a “vacuum” -> Suggests that intergroup conflicts are innate

Question 13

What is the function of Minimal Group Paradigm?

Answer 13

• Social comparison
• Self-categorisation
• Self-esteem

Question 14

Give examples of the Minimal Group Paradigm

Answer 14

• Arbitrary assignments to groups creates biases
• Example: Robber’s Cave Experiment

Question 15

Realistic Group Conflict Theory

Answer 15

• Takes an evolutionary and economic approach for group conflict
• We are motivated to maximise the rewards for in-groups, even if it means taking those rewards away from others

Question 16

Realistic Group Conflict Theory: Competition over Resources

Answer 16

• Groups tend to compete when resources are contested

Examples:
- Israel and Palestine (land)
- Mexico and US (welfare)
- Gulf War (oil)

Question 17

Realistic Group Conflict Theory: Robber’s Cave Experiment

Answer 17

• Supports the notion of competing over resources
• Boys took part in a camp, and divided into 2 groups (Eagles vs Rattlers)
• They did competitions over money/prize
• They got aggressive and competitive
• This persisted even when the resources were removed
• It took a while for them to like each other again after this, even though it was all completely arbitrary

Question 18

Realistic Group Conflict Theory: Zero-Sum Game

Answer 18

• Majority groups view competition as zero-sum game
• Sees a finite amount of resources
• Believes gains in minority lead to equal losses in majority
• Fear of losing influence and power
• Threats increase if groups are seen as equal

Question 19

Intergroup Threat Theory

Answer 19

• An extension of Realistic Group Conflict
• While Realistic Group Conflict focuses on physical resources, Intergroup Threat Theory adds another threat: Status/Sources of Self-esteem

Question 20

Intergroup Threat Theory: Symbolic Threats

Answer 20

• Loss of status or authority or influence
• Loss of sources of self-esteem

Question 21

Intergroup Threat Theory: Realistic Threats

Answer 21

• Loss of physical resources like land and money and food

Question 22

Forms of Discrimination: Expression of Prejudiced Attitudes

Answer 22

• There is small correlation between prejudice and discrimination, which can be explained by the Theory of Planned Behaviour
• Prejudice alone isn’t sufficient to promote discrimination
• Social norms and perceived control impact behaviour

Question 23

Forms of Discrimination: Blatant vs Subtle vs Covert

Answer 23

Blatant:
- Unequal and harmful treatment that is intentional and visible

Subtle:
- Unequal and harmful treatment that is typically less visible and obvious
- Often not noticed because people have internalised it as normal
- Can be active or passive

Covert:
- Unequal and harmful treatment that is hidden, purposeful, and often maliciously motivated
- Behaviour that attempts to ensure failure in situations

Question 24

Forms of Discrimination: Microaggressions

Answer 24

• Small-scale, everyday behaviours that demean other social groups or members of those groups

Question 25

Motivations to Control Prejudice: Internal vs External

Answer 25

Internal:
- Stems from personal belief that prejudice is wrong
- Associated with lower prejudice (Exposure to members of outgroups implicitly remind people of their commitment to egalitarianism)
- Still recognise conflict between prejudices and action, even when prejudiced associations are activated

External:
- A result of social expectations
- Associated with high prejudice (They just feel pressured to appear unbiased)
- Doesn’t necessarily prevent discrimination (usually only when external influence is present)

Question 26

Motivations to Control Prejudice: Relation to Discrimination

Answer 26

• Attention and mental effort is required to suppress discrimination
• When these resources are reduced, people can express their prejudice
• However, suppressing behaviour is difficult especially when the underlying attitudes are strongly influencing behaviour
• Prejudice may “leak out” through nonverbal behaviours when trying to control its effects on other behaviours