Social Psych 5 - Stereotyping and Prejudice

Question 1

What are the 4 different types of phenomena in which prejudice and racism have been constructed/understood as?

Answer 1

Individual phenomena (located in the person)

Interpersonal phenomena - (dynamic and interactive)

Intergroup phenomena - (social identity theory, intergroup conflict relates to prejudice)

Institutional and structural phenomena - (macro societal level to prejudice)

a variety of approaches and theoretical perspectives are required to fully understand these social issues

Question 2

Prejudice in social psychology has been traditionally viewed as:

Answer 2

A negative orientation towards members of a particular group

Bad and unjustified

Irrational and erroneous

Rigid

Question 3

With the advent of cognitive models in social psychology, how did the perception of prejudice change (the view which came to dominate)?

Answer 3

It became more evaluative and neutral

Prejudice is seen as a natural and inevitable consequence of cognitive processes

• We can’t help it because categorization and stereotyping are inevitable unfortunate cognitive tendencies that simply information for us so we do not become overwhelmed.*
• This leads to negative stereotypes about others*

Question 4

What is the most dominant model of prejudice in mainstream social psychology?

Answer 4

Cognitive model of prejudice

Question 5

What are the 3 most salient category memberships according to Fiske?

Answer 5

Age

Gender

Ethnicity

Question 6

Which categories experience the most prejudice according to Fiske?

Answer 6

The big 3 - age, gender, ethnicity

Question 7

Explain the cognitive model of prejudice

Answer 7

Categorisation -> stereotyping -> prejudice

• we need to categorize an overwhelming stimulus world*
• categories are likely to be on the most visual salient features (the stereotype)*
• this leads to the prejudice*

Question 8

What is the outgroup homogeneity effect?

Cognitive consequence of stereotyping

Answer 8

People tend to emphasise the similarities between self and other in-group members and to exaggerate the differences between self and members of the out-group

All members of an out-group are perceived to be ‘all the same’ or alike

Question 9

What is an in-group and an out-group

Answer 9

In-group: group you belong

Out-group: group you dont belong

Question 10

Members of an __group are percieved to be more homogeneous than members of an __group

Answer 10

1) Outgroup
2) Ingroup
* outgroup homogeneity effect*
* we see more variability within our ingroup than we see in outgroups*

Question 11

What is the illusory correlation effect?

Cognitive consequence of categorization/stereotyping

Answer 11

Perceptions and beliefs that category membership covaries with certain behaviours (primarily outgroups)

• shared expectations about a particular outgroup’s behaviour can lead people to oversestimate the frequency with which outgroup members act stereotypically*
• e.g. stereotype of black gang members leads people to overestimate how many black people are gang members*

Question 12

Which type of behaviour is most commonly associated with the illusory correlation effect?

Answer 12

Negative Behaviour

and/or

Socially Undesirable Behaiour

for most majority group members, interactions with minorities are distinctive, and for everyone, sociall undersirable behaviour is distinctive

Question 13

In interactions with outgroup members, ______ behaviours are the ones we tend to remember

Answer 13

distinctive

Question 14

What is the double distinctiveness effect?

Answer 14

Interactions with minority groups are distinctive

Undesirable behaviour is distinctive

Therefore people are more likely to remember the distinctive (undesirable behaviour) of the distinctive minority rather than the normal or socially behaviours

Leads to overemphasis of the negative stereotype in peoples judgements

It is a misperception of correlation when none actually exists

Question 15

What phenomenon is this

The double distinctive experience of a minority and undersirable behaviour is over-emphasised in peoples judgements.

Answer 15

The illusory correlation phenomenon

due to the distinctiveness of minority group and undesirable behaviour, they stand out and are therefore seen as correlated

Question 16

Seeing “most priests as pedophiles” is an example of

Answer 16

the illusory correlation effect

Question 17

Aboriginal people being overly engaged in risky and high-risk alcohol consumption is an example of -

Answer 17

the illusory correlation effect

studies have shown that the difference between indigenous and non-indigenous are statistically insignificant (15-14%)

Question 18

What does social identity theory suggest about what belonging particular social groups does for us.

Answer 18

It helps define who we are

our identity is derived from the various groups to which we belong

Question 19

According to social identity theory, where do we find our identity (“who we are”)?

Answer 19

In our social groups to which we belong

Question 20

What distinction is needed between two groups for out-group discrimination to occur?

Answer 20

Nothing

The mere presence of an out-group leads to discrimination and in-group favorability

Tajfel experiment (mere presence of another group will lead to in-group favourability)

Question 21

Do we need competition between groups for resources, prejudiced socialisation or psychological motives for prejudice to arise?

Answer 21

No

There mere identification of two different groups is enough to lead to prejudice

Question 22

Evolutionary psychologists suggest that prejudice is inevitable because…

Answer 22

we evolved with a need to protect the group to which we belong

its in our nature to protect the in-group and exclude the out-group

Question 23

criticisms of evolutionary psychologists explanations for why we are prejudiced are…

Answer 23

for each instance out out-group discrimination, we have an instance of co-operation.

Co-operation was fundamental in our evolution

Question 24

Are stereotyping and prejudice the same thing according to Devine (1989)?

Answer 24

Stereotyping and prejudice were shown to be distinct psychological processes

Question 25

Does stereotyping or prejudice occur at the conscious/automatic level

Which is expressed at the conscious level?

Answer 25

Unconscious = stereotyping

Conscious = prejudice

stereotyping tends to occur at the unconscious level, prejudice experssed at the conscious level

Question 26

When does prejudice occur according to Devine (1989)?

Answer 26

Prejudice only results if personal beliefs are consistent with negative stereotypes

Question 27

How did Augoustinos and Rosewarne (2001) test whether children learn stereotypes at a young age?

What were the overall results?

Answer 27

Examined 5-6 and 8-9 year olds and asked them the cultural stereotypes.

Negative adjectives were more strongly endorsed for black stimuli than were positive adjectives (the reverse for white stimuli)

Question 28

What was the difference in the results of the Augoustinos and Rosewarne (2001) between the two age groups (5-6 and 8-9 year olds)

Answer 28

5-6 year old stereotype beliefs were highly congruent

8-9 year old kids were significantly more likely to report personal beliefs which diverged from their knowledge of stereotypes

Question 29

Did the results of the Augoustinos and Rosewarne (2001) experiment support Devine’s theory regarding when stereotypes developed?

Answer 29

Some support

Supports the early knowledge off stereotypes and later development of personal beliefs which may be inconsistent with stereotypes

they learn sterotype knowledge (not prejudice at an early age) just what their society believes about minority groups