Ch 10 Social Psyche

Stereotype

type of oversimplified and overgeneralized schema that occurs when an individual assumes that everyone in a certain group has the same traits

Prejudice

Emotion-centered judgments or evaluations about people based on their perceived membership in a particular group

Discrimination

Unfair behaviors toward a particular group or members of a group based on a stereotype or prejudice.

Adaptive categorization

idea that the instinct to group and label other people and things in the environment arose because it was a benefit to survival

Factorial design

type of experiment in which two or more independent variables are used for each participant. The combination of independent variables creates several layers of experimental condition

Ingroup

Any group in which an individual is a member; these groups can be based on chosen or nonchosen characteristics such as race, nationality, sex

Outgroup

Any group in which an individual is not a member

Minimal group paradigm

experimental method to create groups based on meaningless categories to study intergroup dynamics

Social identity theory

Psychological theory that proposes that our self-concept is composed of two parts: a personal identity that is based on personal characteristics and a social identity that is based on social role characteristics

Ingroup heterogeneity

tendency for individuals to see wide diversity within their ingroups.

Outgroup homogeneity

perception that all members of a particular outgroup are identical to each other

Culture

collection of shared beliefs, customs, attitudes, values, social norms, and intellectual pursuits that distinguishes one group of people from another

White privilege

cultural benefits of being White in White-centric societies

Social learning theory

model for understanding social behavior that proposes that we learn attitudes by observing and imitating others

Social agents

Individuals who send messages about cultural beliefs and expectations that help transmit ideas from one generation to the next; social agents include any source that transmits information, such as parents and the media

Social role theory

idea that stereotypes form when individuals observe the roles that different kinds of people occupy in the world and then reinforce those roles by assuming the people occupying them are well suited to the roles.

Stereotype threat

When an individual feels at risk for confirming a negative stereotype about his or her group; this anxiety can be distracting and can ironically cause the stereotype to come true as a type of self-fulfilling prophecy

Realistic conflict theory

idea that prejudice results from the justifications we create to determine that our ingroup should receive an unfair amount of limited resources

Scapegoat theory

idea that prejudice is the result of one group blaming another innocent group for its problems

Frustration-aggression theory

idea that individuals’ frustration builds a physical and psychological tension that they feel must be let out, frequently in the form of aggression toward “weaker” targets

Stereotype content model

idea that two categories of judgment, warmth and competence, interact to form four different types of prejudice: paternalistic prejudice (high warmth, low competence), admiration prejudice (high warmth, high competence), contemptuous prejudice (low warmth, low competence), and envious prejudice (low warmth, high competence)

Interactionist perspective

idea that personality and situation jointly affect an individual’s social behavior

Authoritarian personality

personality characterized by three major behavioral tendencies: submission to authority, discipline toward those who defy authority, and the tendency to conform to conventional beliefs

Double-barreled item

scale item that includes more than one basic idea, making it difficult for individuals to know how to respond if they agree with one of the ideas but not the other

Social dominance orientation

Individuals with a tendency to exhibit outgroup prejudice due to a desire for social hierarchy and power within a situation

Religiosity

degree to which one is religious and why

Intrinsic religiosity

When individuals hold sincere belief in their faith’s teachings and attempt to apply those principles to everyday behavior

Extrinsic religiosity

When an individual is religious because of social or practical rewards

Fundamentalism

form of religiosity in which people believe their chosen faith is the only true faith, that religious texts should be taken literally, and that that forces of evil are active and present all around them

Religion as quest

form of religiosity in which people view religion from a philosophical and spiritual stance, involving skepticism, doubt, and exploration

Old-fashioned prejudice

Obvious, overt prejudice that is considered inappropriate by most social standards today, such as forcing people of a specified race to drink only from a certain water fountain

Modern-symbolic prejudice

form of prejudice where individuals think of themselves as valuing equality and respect for all people while they simultaneously oppose social change that would allow equality to occur

Benevolent prejudice

perception that members of certain groups have positive qualities that should be praised and valued; benevolent prejudice can be condescending and paternalistic toward the outgroup, which results in unfair standards, harsh judgment, and restricted opportunities

Hostile sexism

When an individual exhibits overtly aggressive behavior toward or dispenses harsh judgment toward women who do not fit prescribed gender stereotypes

Ambivalent sexism

combination of hostile and benevolent sexism that occurs when an individual views “good” women from a benevolent perspective but is hostile to women who fail to meet these standards

Contact hypothesis

idea that increasing contact or exposure may reduce prejudice if the groups’ members perceive themselves to be of equal status, group members interact on an individual level, authority figures appear to be supportive, and the groups have common goals

Superordinate goals

Objectives that cannot be achieved without the cooperation of an outgroup; superordinate goals often result in overcoming personal differences for a shared reward and therefore can reduce prejudice

Jigsaw classroom

technique used by teachers where students are first divided into “expert groups” that learn a certain set of information and then are mixed such that the second set of teams, the “jigsaw groups,” each include one member from the expert groups. Jigsaw requires that the members rely on each other to learn the material