temp 2 Flashcards
STEREOTYPES
A stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. The generalizations that are made can be positive or negative. In some cases, stereotypes can influence the behavior of the individual who has them. Stereotypes are investigated in Steele and Aronson’s study and Payne’s study.
STEELE AND ARONSON: The aim of Steele and Aronson’s study was to see how stereotypes affect test performance in African Americans. The study involved administering a test to Black and White participants. In the first part of the test, participants were told that the focus of the test was on verbal ability. In the second part of the test, participants were told that the focus of the test was on problem solving. The results found that African Americans did poorly compared to the white participants when they were told they were being tested on verbal ability. However, they did equally as well as white participants when they were told they were being tested on their problem-solving skills.
PAYNE: The aim of Payne’s study was to test how stereotyping can affect one’s ability to identify an item as a weapon or not. The procedure involved participants completing a timed test where they identified tools versus weapons with either a Black male or white male holding them. The results found that the participants were more likely to misidentify a tool as a gun when the person holding it was Black.
ENCULTURATION
Enculturation is the process by which an individual learns the traditional content of a culture and assimilates its practices and values. Enculturation influences the behavior of the individual to act according to the standards of the new culture in order to fit in. Enculturation is investigated in Fagot’s study and Wood’s study.
FAGOT: Fagot’s study involved researchers observing the behavior of parents as their children acted “gender appropriately” and “gender inappropriately”. The results found that the parents reacted more favorably to the child when its behavior was “gender appropriate”. The parents were more likely to give negative responses to “gender inappropriate” behavior. Follow up interviews indicated that the behavior of the parents was often subconscious.
WOOD: The aim of Wood’s study was to examine the role of gender role enculturation on toy selection. The procedure involved an adult and a child having multiple play sessions where there were 5 masculine toys, 5 feminine toys, and 5 gender neutral toys. The toys the adult chose for the specific child was recorded. The results found that adults were more likely to choose masculine toys when playing with boys, however there was greater flexibility in the toys chosen when the adults played with girls.
ACCULTURATION
Acculturation is the process of cultural and psychological change that takes place as a result of contact between two or more cultural groups. Acculturation can cause changes in one’s behavior, whether it be quick or gradual. Acculturation is investigated in Miranda and Matheny’s study and Lueck and Wilson’s study.
MIRANDA AND MATHENY: The aim of Miranda and Matheny’s study was to see how acculturative stress could be decreased in Latino immigrants in the US. The procedure involved 197 Latino immigrants completing a questionnaire that would measure their level of acculturative stress. The researchers then asked questions about protective factors, which are factors that would decrease acculturative stress. The protective factors that they found were proficiency in English, effective coping skills, strong family structures, and the amount of time spent in the US.
LEUCK AND WILSON: The aim of Lueck and Wilson’s study was to see how acculturative stress could be decreased in Asian immigrants in the US. The procedure involved administering a semi-structured interview to 2095 Asian immigrants. The results found that the factors that decreased acculturative stress were being bilingual, sharing values with one’s family, and economic satisfaction. The factors that increased acculturative stress were preference for only speaking English and negative treatment by members of their new culture.
