PSYC2040 WEEK 8

PREJUDICE

• Negative attitudes held towards a social group or towards an individual on the basis of their group membership  

• Most research focuses on marginalised/minority groups being prejudiced.  

• Marginalised groups are disproportionately targeted by prejudice 

GREATER SENSITIVITY TO REALISTIC THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH…

Social dominance orientation

GREATER SENSITIVITY TO SYMBOLIC THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH…

Authoritarianism

PREJUDICE BLIND SPOT STUDY

Participants rated themselves as less racist then the student they reviewed, But the student they reviewed was themself.

EXTENDED CONTACT

Knowing that a member of your ingroup has a close relationship with an outgroup member can improve attitude towards outgroup with direct contact yourself.

STRUCTURAL FIT

Category becomes salient when it correlates with actual differences between people in the social situation.

DISCRIMINATION

Negative treatment or behaviours directed against a social group or towards an individual on the basis of their group membership 

INTERPERSONAL GROUP MEMBERSHIP

• Behaviour enacted by an individual as an expression of their underlying prejudice 

STRUCTURAL DISCRIMINATION

• Discrimination that is written into societal structures and systems  

• Discriminatory systems created and maintained by prejudice and power 

GLASS CEILING

Systemic barrier that restricts women's advancement to senior and executive leadership positions, particularly in roles traditionally occupied by mean 

GLASS CLIFF

A phenomenon whereby women are disproportionately appointed to precarious leadership positions in organisational crises, instability or decline, where probability of failure, scrutiny and criticism is high 

• Exposes women to higher stress and pressure 

• Increases their vulnerability to blame and criticism for negative outcomes 

RACIAL PROFILING

• Black people are more likely to be targeted for suspicion of crime than other races 

• Black defendants receive harsher sentences than white defendants for same type/severity of crime and/or same criminal history 

• Harsher sentences given to black people who look more phenotypically 'black' 

• Innocent black people are more likely than innocent white people to be wrongfully convicted for: 

  • Sexual assault (x3.5) 

  • Murder (x7) 

  • Drug crimes (x12) 

THE SHOOTER BIAS

• Participants set lower threshold for decision to shoot black targets 

• Thought to be due to knowledge of cultural stereotypes linking black people to criminality rather than overt prejudice towards black people 

INTERSECTIONALITY

• Identities can intersect 

• People hold combinations of identities (some privileged/marginalised) 

• Experiences at these intersections are unique and nuanced 

PREJUDICE CONSEQUENCES

• Elevated depression, anxiety, stress 

• Lowered self-esteem 

• Diminished life satisfaction 

• Physiological stress response 

• Self-harm, suicidal ideation 

• Mortality 

FACTORS INFLUENCING PREJUDICE - SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY

Ingroup favouritism  

• Attitudinal or behavioural preference that favours one's own groups over other groups 

Outgroup derogation 

• Negative attitudinal or behavioural inclination towards group to which one does not belong 

Intergroup differentiation 

• Tendency to emphasise differences between ingroups and outgroups  

Relative homogeneity effect 

• Tendency to see ingroup members as differentiated and outgroups members as all the same 

FACTORS INFLUENCING PREJUDICE - STEREOTYPES

• Beliefs held about social groups and the members that comprise those groups 

• Automatic, oversimplified, socially/culturally prescribed, rigid 

• Influence perception, impressions and expectations 

• Elicits different emotional reactions towards outgroups 

• Form the basis for discrimination 

SUBTYPING

• Sub-categories created to accommodate stereotype-inconsistent evidence 

CONVERSION

• Change is sudden, after critical mass of stereotype inconsistent evidence 

BOOK KEEPING

• Change is gradual as stereotype-inconsistent evidence accumulates 

FACTORS INFLUENING PREJUDICE - INTEGRATED THREAT THEORY

Realistic threat  

• A threat posed by the perceived danger of the outgroup to the ingroup's actual resources, power and vitality 

Symbolic threat 

• A threat posed by the perceived difference between the ingroup and the outgroups values and worldviews  

AUTHORITARIANISM

1. Conventionalism 

• Adherence to traditional social norms and values 

2. Authoritarian submission 

• Submissive support for and obedience to authority figures 

3. Authoritarian aggression 

• Support for the use of aggression/control to deal with deviants/norm violators 

SOCIAL DOMINANCE ORIENTATION

• Preference for group-based hierarchy, domination and inequality 

• Competitive world view  

• Motivational goal 

FACTORS INFLUENCING PREJUDICE - ZERO SUM THINKING

• Subjective belief that one groups gain = another groups loss 

• Greater prejudice towards marginalised groups 

• Lower support for policies benefiting marginalised groups  

• More common among high-status advantaged groups  

PREJUDICE REDUCTION - CONFRONTATION

• Stronger intention to monitor and control future behaviours 

• People motivated to deny they are prejudiced even when their behaviour proves otherwise  

• Can elicit negative emotions in person being confronted 

• Confrontation less threatening when delivered by trusted party, calm and measured, behaviour-centre rather than person-centred.  

• Confrontation more effective when given by ally vs target group.  

PREJUDICE REDUCTION - CATEGORISATION

Decategorisation 

• Prevent people from categorising as group members, instead as individuals 

• Reduces salience of group identities 

Re-categorisation 

• Get people to identify as part of superordinate group (identity that includes both ingroup and outgroup) 

• Fosters inclusiveness 

PREJUDICE REDUCTION - INTERGROUP CONTACT THEORY

• Bring members of opposing groups together to improve intergroup relations and reduce prejudice 

• Contact effect emerges regardless of the initial level of prejudice 

PARASOCIAL CONTACT

• Having contact with the outgroup member via media 

IMAGINED CONTACT

• Imagined positive contact with an outgroup member 

VICARIOUS CONTACT

• Observing member of one's own group positively interact with a member of an outgroup 

PREJUDICE REDUCTION - PERSPECTIVE TAKING

• Taking on perspective of an outgroup member 

• Elicits empathy for out-group 

• Elicits perceived injustice