Stereotyping & Prejudice Exam 3

Q: What is ambivalent sexism?

A: The combination of hostile sexism and benevolent sexism that reinforces traditional gender roles.

Q: What is hostile sexism?

A: Negative, antagonistic attitudes toward women (e.g., women are manipulative or controlling).

Q: What is benevolent sexism?

A: Seemingly positive beliefs about women that still support inequality (e.g., women should be protected).

Q: Why is benevolent sexism harmful?

A: It reinforces inequality, lowers women’s goals, and makes discrimination harder to recognize.

Q: How do hostile and benevolent sexism work together?

A: Hostile sexism punishes women who challenge norms, while benevolent sexism rewards those who follow them.

Q: What are prescriptive norms?

A: Expectations for how men and women should behave (e.g., women = warm, men = dominant).

Q: What is backlash theory?

A: People are penalized for acting against gender stereotypes.

Q: What happens to women who act agentic (leader-like)?

A: They are seen as less likable and face discrimination.

Q: What is the “double bind” for women?

A: Warm women = liked but seen as incompetent; competent women = respected but disliked.

Q: What is precarious manhood theory?

A: Manhood is unstable and must be constantly proven.

Q: How is manhood different from womanhood?

A: Manhood is achieved and can be lost; womanhood is seen as automatic.

Q: What happens when manhood is threatened?

A: Men feel anxiety and try to prove masculinity through behavior.

Q: What behaviors are linked to gender-identity threat?

A: Aggression, harassment, stereotyping others, and overcompensation.

Q: What is the TransYouth Project?

A: A study tracking gender development in transgender children over time.

Q: What did the TransYouth Project find?

A: Transgender children identify with and prefer things consistent with their gender identity, not birth sex.

Q: How is disgust linked to prejudice against gay men?

A: Higher disgust sensitivity increases bias against gay men.

Q: What is benevolent ageism?

A: Positive-sounding beliefs about older people that still stereotype them as weak or dependent.

Q: What is the halo effect?

A: Attractive people are assumed to have more positive traits.

Q: What is a self-fulfilling prophecy in attractiveness?

A: Attractive people get more attention, which helps them develop better social skills.

Q: How are people with disabilities perceived?

A: High warmth but low competence, along with hidden prejudice.

Q: What is the light-skin bias?

A: Lighter skin is often associated with higher status and attractiveness.

Q: What is stigma?

A: A characteristic that leads to a devalued social identity.

Q: What are the 5 dimensions of stigma?

A: Visibility, controllability, disruptiveness, aesthetic qualities, and peril.

Q: What is stigma by association?

A: Being stigmatized because of association with a stigmatized person.

Q: What is attributional ambiguity?

A: Uncertainty about whether treatment is due to personal factors or group membership.

Q: When is discrimination easier to perceive?

A: When it is blatant, from an outgroup, stereotype-related, or when stigma awareness is high.

Q: What is stigma consciousness?

A: Belief that your group is judged based on stereotypes.

Q: What is the personal/group discrimination discrepancy (PGDD)?

A: People think their group faces more discrimination than they personally do.

Q: Why does PGDD happen (cognitive reasons)?

A: Identification, accessibility of group examples, and social comparison.

Q: Why does PGDD happen (motivational reasons)?

A: Denial, distancing from stigma, and maintaining relationships.

Q: What is intergroup anxiety?

A: Nervousness about interacting with people from different groups.

Q: What are diverging motivations in interracial interactions?

A: White individuals want to be liked; minority individuals want to be respected.

Q: What is concealing?

A: Hiding a stigmatized identity.

Q: What is a benefit of concealing?

A: Avoiding discrimination.

Q: What are cognitive costs of concealing?

A: Preoccupation and increased vigilance.

Q: What are emotional costs of concealing?

A: Anxiety, shame, and identity conflict.

Q: What are behavioral effects of concealing?

A: Avoidance, impression management, and altered behavior.

Q: What is compensation?

A: Behaviors used to reduce discrimination (e.g., acting extra friendly).

Q: What is acknowledgment as a strategy?

A: Openly addressing your stigma to reduce tension.

Q: Why don’t people confront discrimination?

A: Fear of backlash, social norms, or not feeling responsible.

Q: What are the steps to confronting discrimination?

A: Recognize it → see it as serious → take responsibility → know how → act.

Q: What makes confrontation effective?

A: Staying calm, focusing on behavior, and encouraging reflection.

Q: What is the main takeaway of Phelan & Rudman (2010)?

A: Women face a double bind in leadership: they must act assertive to be seen as competent, but doing so leads to backlash and discrimination.

Q: What is the main takeaway of Goffman (1963)?

A: Stigma is a social label that discredits a person, reducing them from a whole person to a devalued identity.

Q: What is the main takeaway of Hobbes (2018)?

A: Society’s understanding of obesity is flawed, and stigma and dieting are ineffective and harmful approaches.

Q: What is the main takeaway of Steele (2010)?

A: Stereotype threat harms performance when people fear confirming a negative stereotype about their group.

Q: What is the main takeaway of Lai & Banaji (2020)?

A: People have implicit (unconscious) biases that can contradict their conscious beliefs and affect behavior.

Q: What is the main takeaway of Resnick (2020)?

A: Prejudice can be reduced through deep, empathetic conversations, not confrontation.

Q: What makes for an effective confrontation of discrimination?

A: Focus on behavior (not the person), use allies (non-stigmatized people are taken more seriously), and make the target feel supported.

Q: Why are allies important in confronting discrimination?

A: Non-stigmatized people (e.g., White or male individuals) are often taken more seriously.

Q: How should you phrase an effective confrontation?

A: Focus on behavior (e.g., “That comment made me uncomfortable”) instead of attacking character (e.g., “You’re racist”).

Q: What defines an effective confrontation for the target?

A: The target feels supported, is more likely to seek support again, and stays engaged.

Q: How does stigma affect self-esteem?

A: It is often linked to lower self-esteem.

Q: What are examples of how stigma affects the self?

A: Concealing identity, exclusion, and internalizing cultural messages.

Q: Can the negative effects of stigma be reduced?

A: Yes, they can be mitigated or even reversed.

Q: What is an example showing stigma doesn’t always lower self-esteem?

A: Black Americans report higher average self-esteem than White Americans.

Q: What are three ways people protect self-esteem from stigma?

A: Within-group comparisons, attributing discrimination, and selective identification with domains.

Q: What are within-group comparisons?

A: Comparing yourself to your own group instead of higher-status groups, which protects self-esteem.

Q: What is attributing to discrimination?

A: Blaming negative outcomes on discrimination instead of personal failure.

Q: What is selective identification with domains?

A: Choosing areas where your self-worth is based, especially ones less affected by stigma.

Q: What are contingencies of self-worth?

A: The domains people base their self-esteem on.

Q: What is disidentification?

A: Redefining yourself so a domain no longer affects your self-esteem.

Q: Can disidentification happen even if you’re good at something?

A: Yes.

Q: What is ambient belonging?

A: Feeling like you fit in a physical environment.

Q: What did the ambient belonging study find?

A: “Geeky” classrooms made women feel less belonging and less interest in computer science.

Q: What is stereotype threat?

A: Anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype about your group.

Q: What does stereotype threat explain?

A: Group differences in performance.

Q: Why does stereotype threat reduce performance?

A: Less persistence, more anxiety, and reduced focus.

Q: How does stereotype threat affect effort?

A: People spend less time and attempt fewer problems.

Q: How does stereotype threat affect attention?

A: It increases self-focus and distracts attention.

Q: When is stereotype threat more likely?

A: On difficult tasks, when stereotypes are relevant, and when identity is important to the person.

Q: How is discrimination related to health?

A: It is linked to worse physical and mental health.

Q: What is a common myth about weight stigma?

A: That it motivates people to lose weight.

Q: What actually happens with weight stigma?

A: It lowers self-efficacy and increases calorie consumption.

Q: Why does weight stigma harm health?

A: It causes stress, reduces self-control, and leads to avoiding healthy situations.