Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination

Question 1

What are stereotypes?

Answer 1

cognitive beliefs associating a group of people with certain traits or characteristics.

Question 2

Why do we have stereotypes?

Answer 2

They help to resolve ambiguity.

Can distort our perceptions and are often resistant to change.

Question 3

What are 2 example studies of distortion of perception?

Answer 3

The study of a black man with a razor in his hand.

The two boys on the swings- a black boy pushed the white boy.

Question 4

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Answer 4

Our expectations influence interaction and produce changes in behaviour in line with assumptions.

Question 5

How does stigma relate to stereotypes?

Answer 5

An individual feels negatively evaluated due to group membership.

Question 6

What is prejudice?

Answer 6

The feelings toward certain people are based on their group membership. (can be indirect and subtle)

Question 7

What is discrimination?

Answer 7

Behaviour is directed against people based on their group membership. (can be indirect and subtle)

Question 8

What is sexism?

Answer 8

prejudice and discrimination based on a person’s gender or institutional and cultural practices that promote the domination of one gender over another.

Question 9

How is sexism upheld and how do roles play a part?

Answer 9

One sex holds power and this is transmitted and maintained by media and language. These role stereotypes hold the stigma.

Question 10

What is the performance attribution stereotype in men and women?

Answer 10

Men are based on ability

Women are based on luck

Question 11

What are the two types of ambivalent sexism?

Answer 11

Hostile: negative, resentful feelings about women

Benevolent: chivalrous feelings that can be patronising

Question 12

What is racism?

Answer 12

Prejudice and discrimination are based on a person’s racial background or institutional and cultural practices that promote the domination of one racial group over another.

Question 13

Why is it difficult to detect racism? what did studies show?

Answer 13

It is due to social desirability

Question 14

How did experiments code and detect well-concealed racism?

Answer 14

Participants coded shoving acts. black = shoving vs. white = playful.

Used tests to reveal unconscious bias and reaction times to positive/negative adjectives.

Question 15

What are modern, aversive and microaggressive forms of racism?

Answer 15

Modern: Racism surfaces in subtle ways often in socially acceptable contexts

Aversive: Ambivalence between being fair and unconscious prejudices

microaggression: every day, subtle forms of discrimination.

Question 16

What is ageism and what is a stereotypical reason as to why?

Answer 16

Prejudice and discrimination are based on a person’s age.

The elderly are seen as worthless and powerless

Stereotypes about young people- as delinquents

Question 17

What are the cultural differences between elders?

Answer 17

Indigenous communities’ elders are revered

Nuclear families, generally undervalued

Question 18

What is ableism and how is the stereotype perpetuated?

Answer 18

Prejudice and discrimination towards people with a disability

The media presents people over assisting individuals with physical health challenges.

Question 19

How has change been made towards sexual discrimination based on gender identity?

Answer 19

History has moved mounds towards changing the stigma, reduced through policy and language. Acceptance of pro-nouns, all-gender restroom facilities, and filling out correct gender identity on forms.

Question 20

What are the societal effects of prejudice and discrimination?

Answer 20

The societal position of minorities is held as a result of reluctance to help

Tokenism (publicly making small concessions)

Social stigma increases, thus supporting self-fulfilling prophecies

Reduced access to resources

Violence

Question 21

What are the individual effects of prejudice and discrimination?

Answer 21

Dehumanisation (loss of dignity and humanity)

Reduces self-esteem

Question 22

What are some explanations of prejudice and discrimination?

Answer 22

Innate reaction: human’s inherent fear of the unfamiliar

Learned reactions: role of parental attitudes

Frustration aggression - leads to scapegoating as an outlet.

Authoritarian personalities - harsh parental treatment and displaced anger lead to prejudice or dogmatism

Question 23

What is relative deprivation?

Answer 23

Discontent from the belief one fares poorly compared to others

Question 24

What is realistic conflict theory and how does it relate to in-group behaviour?

Answer 24

Hostility between groups is caused by direct competition for limited resources.

The result is ethnocentrism (own group = centre of everything)

Question 25

How could the role of superordinate goals help reduce discrimination?

Answer 25

If there is a shared goal that can be achieved through cooperation between groups, this may reduce ethnocentrism.

Question 26

How does social identity theory relate to the way group membership and intergroup relations contribute to discrimination?

Answer 26

Social identity theory is the favouritism of one’s group’s social identity over that of another. Where the strategies of the group are to obtain a positive social identity and self-esteem towards social mobility over social change.

Question 27

What is the out-group homogeneity effect?

Answer 27

This assumes greater similarity among members of outgroups than ingroups.

Question 28

What is self-categorisation theory?

Answer 28

Categories based on cognitive representations of groups are used to MINIMISE differences within groups and MAXIMISE differences between groups.

Question 29

What are some strategies to reduce prejudice and discrimination?

Answer 29

Use of propaganda and education

Contact hypothesis - contact leads to intergroup harmony. 
need: prolonged, co-operative activity 
officially sanctioned 
equal social status 
similarities emphasised 
outgroup members seen as typical 

Have superordinate goals

Communication and conciliation

• bargaining
• mediation: 3rd person facilitates
• arbitration: 3rd party decides
• concilation: co-operative gesture