PSY 241 - Exam 4: Racism, Prejudice, and Stereotypes

Social Psychology

The Scientific Study of the causes and consequences of peoples thoughts, feelings, and actions regarding themselves and other people

Racism

A set if ideas, practices, and materials embedded in the structure of everyday cultureal worlds

Social Dominance Theory

• Humans evolved in groups competed with other groups for power and resources

• Dominant groups who “win” control wealth, politics, land, also get to define the “mainstream” values of society

• Members of dominant groups come to believe that their higher status is justified, natural, and fair

Hierarchy-Legitimizing Myths

• Beliefs that maintain or promote group hierarchy

• Legitimize inequality and discrimination, reduce intergroup conflict

In-Group Preference and Prejudice

• Preference for one’s own group is automatic  (minimal group research)

• Negative attitude toward an outgroup is NOT automatic

  • Ethnocentrism

  • threat

  • Group-based power difference

Ethnocentrism 

seeing one’s own norms as “natural” and “correct”

Threat

Groups in competition over resources or feel threatened

Group-based Power Difference

Group memberships determine, in part, who will have access to resources, status, and influence

stereotype

Overgeneralized beliefs about the traits and attributes of members of a particular group

Prejudice

A negative attitude toward an individual based solely on that person’s group membership

Discrimination

Negative behavior toward an individual based solely on that persons group membership

Where Stereotypes come from

• A kernel of truth

• Social Role Theory

• Illusory Correlation

A kernel of Truth

Some stereotypes may be based on actual differences in the average characteristics of groups

Social Role Theory

We infer stereotypes that describe what people are based on the roles we often see them in

Illusory Correlation

A tendency to assume an association between two rare occurences, such as being in a minority group and performing negative actions

Influences on Perception - Shooter Bias

Tendency to mistakenly see objects in the hands of Black men as guns

Influences on Interpretation of Behavior

The same behavior (a shove in an argument) is interpreted differently (violent vs. playful) depending on the group memberships of the person who did the shoving

Distortion of Attention and memory

Tend to pay attention, to encode, and recall stereotype-consistent information

Reasons why People Use Stereotypes

• To simplify

• To boost self-esteem

• To justify

  • Prejudice, discrimination, violence, the status quo

Dual Process Model of Stereotyping

• Automatic activation of stereotype

• Controlled application of stereotype

Automatic Activation of stereotype

Stereotypes are automatically salient when someone encounters a member of a stereotyped group

Controlled Application of Stereotype

• Deliberate, conscious effort is required to inhibit behaviors based on the stereotype

• If this effort is not present then the stereotype will affect the behavior

Hostile Feelings

We categorize people into groups, and come to associate negative feelings with the group

• Realistic Group Conflict Theory

Realistic Group Conflict Theory

Slight competition between different groups such as tug of war, dodgeball, etc.

Ingroup Bias

A portion of our self-esteem is linked to our own group memberships

• “Minimal Group” Research

Ethnocentric Worldview

We view members of other groups through the lens of our own cultural values

• Prejudice as a norm and symbolic racism

Explicit Prejudice

A conscious, deliberate, and openly expressed negative attitude towards a specific group of people

• Ex. Hate Group 

Implicit Prejudice

Negative attitudes or feelings associated with an outgroup, for which the individual has little or no conscious awareness

• Psychological measures

• Implicit Association Test

Suppressed Prejudice

Holding a prejudice and choosing not to express it

Stereotype Threat

The concern that one might do something to confirm a negative stereotype about one’s group

Coping with Stereotypes

• Positive role model

• reappraise anxiety

• Self-affirmation

Positive Role Model

Identify with people like the target who have been successful

• Coping with stereotypes

Reappraise anxiety

Reinterpret setbacks as normal rather than evidence that the stereotype is true

• Coping with stereotypes

Self-affirmation

Protect positive view of self by reminding yourself of other deeply held values

• Coping with stereotypes

Coping with Prejudice and Discrimination

• Confront a prejudiced person

• Compensation strategies

• Conceal a stigmatized identity

• Seek social support

• Blame the bias not the self

• Devalue the domain

Avenues to Change

• Institutional Change

• Interpersonal change

  • Suppress prejudices and stereotypes

  • Intergroup contact

• Individual change

The Contact Hypothesis

If people from different groups interact with one another, prejudice will decline under certain conditions

• Equal status

• acquainted

• Cooperation for shared common goal

• Institutional support

Individual Approaches to Reducing Prejudice

• Perspective-taking

• Bolstering the Self

• A multicultural (not colorblind) ideology

Perspective-Taking

Taking the perspective of a member of a stigmatized group and imagine seeing the world through their eyes

• Individual Approach to Reducing Prejudice

Bolstering the Self

Because some prejudices result from people’s own insecurities, increasing their self-esteem can sometimes reduce prejudice

• Individual Approach to Reducing Prejudice

A Multicultural Ideology

A Worldwide view in which different cultural identities and view points are acknowledged and appreciated

• Individual Approach to Reducing Prejudice

Top-Down Approaches to Changing Culture

• Changes to laws, customs, and norms

• Counter-stereotypic narratives and role models