Theoretical Perspectives

Important note on the perspectives

• Aren’t competing theories, but rather are complementary

Economic perspective description (1), associated theory + description

• Competition for resources drives prejudice + discrimination

• Realistic group conflict theory ("prejudice + discrimination often arise through competition over limited resources)

Predictions of realistic group conflict theory (1)

• Prejudice + discrimination increase in times of economic difficulty

• Prejudice strongest from groups who have something to lose from another group’s economic advance

The Robbers Cave experiment description, finding + follow-on bit (economic)

• 11 year old boys who were initially friendly developed intense hostility and ethnocentrism when divided into two group and made to compete for resources

• Hostility persisted after competition ended

• Hostility dissipated when groups were forced to cooperate to achieve superordinate goals (which transcend the interests of one group and can be achieved more readily if the two groups work together)

Ethnocentrism def

• Glorifying one’s own group while vilifying other groups

Motivational perspective description

• Favouring the ingroup drives prejudice + discrimination even in the absence of direct competition

Minimal group paradigm (motivational) description, result, + what it demonstrates

• Created groups based on arbitrary + seemingly meaningless criteria such as preferences for abstract art

• Participants allocated more resources to group members

• Demonstrates readiness to adopt ‘us vs them’ mentality

Social identity theory (motivational) + example

• Ingroup favouritism boosts the so-called status/standing of the group of which we are a part of → this in turn boosts our own self-esteem

• When self-esteem is threatened → tend to denigrate outgroups

• E.g. basking reflected glory (e.g. sports fans identifying with winning team)

Cognitive perspective, what stereotyping stems from

• The efficiency of cognitive processing (miser) drives prejudice + discrimination

• Stems from the ubiquity and need for categorisation

Utility of stereotypes, when more likely to use

• Stereotypes are useful schemas that allow us to process information efficiently by simplifying complex realities

• More likely to use when tired, mentally taxed/overloaded

Confirmation bias in relation to stereotypes (1)

• Information consistent with stereotype is noticed, deemed significant and remembered, while inconsistent information is ignored or dismissed

Illusory correlations def + link to context w/ stereotypes (2)

• Perceived correlations between categories/events that are not actually related

• Often occurs when two distinctive events are paired

• E.g. negative behaviour by minority group → leads to overestimation of negative behaviour in minority groups

Self-fulfilling prophecies + stereotypes description (1) + example (1)

• People act towards members of certain groups in ways that encourage the very behaviour they expect to see from those groups

• E.g. interviewers unwittingly treat Black applicants differently → leads to poorer performance by applicant → confirms negative stereotype

Outgroup homogeneity effect description (1) + why (2)

• Tendency to assume that within-group similarity is stronger for ougroups than it is for ingroups

• Because people tend to have less contact w/ outgroups + tend to treat members as representative of whole group rather than individuals

Subtyping: where it stems from, description + example

• Stems from resistance to disconfirmation of stereotypes

• When faced with info that contradicts stereotypes → accommodates this by creating subcategory of stereotyped group so as to keep the main stereotype intact

• E.g. assertive woman put in subcategory of militant feminist

Concrete vs abstract construals for ingroups vs outgroups (2)

• Positive actions by ingroup members + negative actions by outgroup members are described more abstractly (implicating disposition)

• Negative actions by ingroup members + positive actions by ingroup members are described more concretely (implicating situation)

Stereotype activation in prejudiced vs unprejudiced individuals + also differences between the groups

• Tends to be the same

• However, unprejudiced individuals will employ more controlled cognitive processing to discard or suppress these stereotypes