Week 9 - Stereotypes & Prejudice & Discrimination Flashcards
What was Columbus first encounter?
“They took and gave everything they had with good will…They were built, with handsome bodies and fine features”
“They ought to make good slaves”
People today may be tempted to DISMISS this as outdated, but need to think of wars and genocide
What is intergroup bias?
Tendency to prefer the INGROUP as the preferred group than a group to which one doesn’t belong to the OUTGROUP
Groups can be religious, gender, sexual orientation etc…
Bias can manifest itself into “__________, ____________, ____________”
Attitude (prejudice)
Behaviour (discrimination)
Cognition (stereotyping)
Intergroup bias may emerge in “_________” or “_________” forms
Blatant
Subtle
What’s a way you can measure explicit bias?
Modern racism scale
What is aversive racism?
Surfaces in SUBTLE ways when it is safe, socially acceptable and easy to rationalize
What’s implicit bias?
Stereotyped/prejudice considered UNCONSCIOUS or IMPLICIT
People express them without awareness/without control
How can you measure implicit bias?
IAT (implicit association task)
Evaluate priming
Go/no-go association task
True or false. Can people be implicitly bias even when their explicit responses are unbiased?
True
Are we really biased?
If measured with…
Modern racism scale = NO
IAT = YES
What’s the debate on implicit biases?
IF it truly represents ones true attitudes/belief
However,
It does predict better behaviour than self-report measures
What are some other ways to measure implicit biases?
The shooter bias (more likely to shoot if black)
Neuroscientific measures (ERP and fMRI)
How does the fMRI measure implicit biases?
Stereotype content model:
The stereotypes we have of people DIFFER in 2 DIMENSIONS of COMPENTENCE and WARMTH
= different emotional reactance to groups
What is sexism?
Gender stereotypes are distinct = descriptive and prescriptive
Men - competent and independent
Women - warm and expressive
What is social role theory?
Stereotypes come from ROLES and BEHAVIOURS that SOCIETAL pressures may impose on group
Can be historical or cultural social constraints
What is gender and social role theory?
What are the 3 steps that makes influence?
Small gender differences are magnified by contrasting SOCIAL ROLES by men and women
Tend to be generalized and exaggerated
3 steps:
- combo of bio and social factors = division of labour
- behave in way to fit roles
- make social perception = men/dominant, women/domestic
“_________” of gender stereotypes can result in social and economic backlash.
Violation
What are ways people are biased against homosexuals, handicapped and overweight?
- Homosexuality removed from list mental disorders only in 1973
- People 40% less likely to be interviewed after saying they volunteered for gay organization
- Bias against physically/mentally handicapped = LONG standing problem
- Attitude towards overweight women = automatic judgment even when strangers
What are some sources of intergroup bias? (5)
1) economic
2) motivation
3) cognition
4) individual differences
5) culture
What is the economic perspective on intergroup bias?
Competition for MATERIAL resources
Poor economic conditions
Scape-goating: dominant groups frustrated & displace aggression
What is realistic conflict theory?
Competition for scarce resources = BREED prejudice, stereotypes and hostility
NOT necessarily due to differences in background/hostility
Resource conflict may be PERCEIVED or SUBJECTIVE
What are some conclusions about realistic conflict theory?
Competition between the groups aren’t necessarily due to background/history
Resource conflict doesn’t have to be REAL, may be PERCEIVED
What is the motivational perspective?
A fundamental motive is NEEDED to belong and affiliate
Serves motive self-protection
“Us vs them” mentality
What is social identity theory?
Self-concept/self-esteem not only driven from personal IDENTITY
BUT also from STATUS and ACCOMPLISHMENTS of groups we belong to
People still show bias or discrimination even if…?
(According to social identity theory)
1) told they are classified in arbitrary way
2) never at a personal disadvantage
3) don’t meet other group members
Due to SIT theory, when people are given the option to favourite “_______ _________” they show higher self-esteem
Their ingroup
What is system justification?
Does it contrast motive for for ingroup favouritism?
Argues that IDEOLOGICAL MOTIVE to justify the STATUS QUO even if it (-) impacts own group
Ex) people may vote for polices even if it goes against own interests
What is uncertainty reduction?
We are motivated to know WHO we are and HOW we relate to OTHERS
We like to feel certain about things in life
SIT is one way to reduce “___________”
Uncertainty
What is the cognitive perspective on intergroup biases?
Results from the ways in which we PROCESS information about people
What is social categorization?
It helpful/adaptive in processing the COMPLEX world
HOWEVER,
Can OVERESTIMATE and UNDERESTIMATE group differences
True or false. Stereotypes aren’t more likely when we are tired, cognitively loaded, or have low mental energy
False
They are more likely
Social categorization can “______” to outgroup homogeneity effect
What is this?
Lead
Tendency to assume that there a greater SIMILARITY among members of OUTGROUPS than among members of INGROUPS
What is biased information processing?
Stereotypes influence on how we COMMUNICATE, PROCESS INFORMATION and INTERPRET EVENTS
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?
How does this relate to stereotypes?
Stereotypes sometimes create this by leading us to act towards outgroup members in ways that ENCOURAGE the very behaviour we EXPECT
What is subtyping?
Explaining away exceptions to a stereotype by creating a SUBCATEGORY that DIFFERS from the group as a whole
What is social dominance orientation (SDO)?
Extent to which one sees hierarchy of groups and desire for their INGROUP to dominate over others
Related to beliefs in social ideologies that support GROUP HIERARCHY (civil right, war etc…)
What is right wing authoritarianism (RWA)?
One values conventionalism, authoritarian aggression and submission
RECALL theory of mind and the social brain:
“Social brain”
Self-referential
“Social brain” - DMPFC
Self-referential - MPFC & PCC
What are some neuroanatomy measures?
EEG - resting state frequencies
MRI - voxel-based morphometry
Can explain STABLE differences in personality & behaviour
What part of the brain is intergroup discrimination associated with more grey matter?
What is it mediated by?
Temporal parietal junction (TPJ)
Dorsomedial Prefrontal cortex (DMPFC)
Mediated bye degree of MENTALIZING (empathy)
Intergroup bias has been influenced by “_______” and “_____________”
Media
Socialization
What can happen being a member of a stigmatized group?
May suffer..
Setbacks in health
Wealth
Employment prospects
What is attributional ambiguity?
Stigmatized group members often face DILEMMA of how to ATTRIBUTE experiences they have
May effect experience of (+) and (-) feedback
What is stereotype threat?
Fear of being evaluated by or confirming NEGATIVES stereotypes about ones group
Can impact performance
Impacts a vast amount of people and different groups
How does stereotype threat affect performance?
1) physiological arousal
2) individual suppress thoughts about stereotypes (drain cognitive resources)
3) impairs working memory
4) facilitate negative thoughts & avoidance of failure
What are some ways stereotype threat can be alleviated?
1) engaging self-affirmation
2) stereotype doesn’t occur in that particular context = negative erased
3) exposing target individuals to (+) role models from their INGROUP
4) reminding a person that they can be part of other categories that are favourable
How do you REDUCE prejudice? (In intergroup interactions)
How do you CONTROL prejudice?
REDUCE:
- challenges to this change
CONTROL:
- dual-process view of prejudice
(process 1: experiential (quickly/automatic)
(process 2: rational (reflective/cognitive process)
Give 2 reasons why prejudice is not always easily controlled?
1) people face LIMITATIONS when they attempt to CONTROL their biases
(cognitive impaired w/ emotions, time/distraction)
2) CONTROLLING biases can have (-) EFFECTS (
What is the contact hypothesis?
Ingredients for (+) INTERGROUP CONTACT
EQUAL status b/w groups in situation
INTIMATE/VARIED contact = get to know each other
Why does optimal contact work?
What are the 3 ways?
Key mechanisms by which OPTIMAL CONTACT creates (+) CHANGE:
1) reduce stereotyping
2) reducing anxiety
3) fostering empathy
True or false. Can you reduce prejudice without contact?
If so… how?
True
PERSPECTIVE taking and EMPATHY
How is prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination related?
People who hold prejudice often JUSTIFY them with stereotypes
People holding prejudices and stereotypes often LEADS to discrimination
What are the 3 basic causes of prejudice according to Gordon Allport?
1) hostility plus categorization
2) Ingroup bias
3) threats to ones worldview
What is ambivalent racism?
White Americans embrace both negativity towards BLACK people and another that leads to more favourable views of them
What is an Illusory correlation?
People think two things are related when in reality THEY AREN’T
What is person-group discrimination discrepancy?
People to estimate that they experience LESS discrimination than the average member of the group
