Chapter 6: Prejudice & Discrimination

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering the cognition, affect, behaviors, theories, and interventions related to prejudice and discrimination.

Stereotypes

The cognitive component of bias, consisting of widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group.

Prejudice

The affective (emotional) component of bias, defined as a negative attitude toward someone because of their group membership.

Discrimination

The behavioral component of bias, defined as treating someone differently because of their group membership.

Modern Racism

A form of racism identified by Swim et al. that is less overt than in the past, characterized by denial that discrimination still occurs, antagonism toward demands for equal treatment, and resentment about perceived special favors for minorities.

Tokenism

Hiring or promoting someone based on their group membership rather than qualifications alone, which can lead to lower job satisfaction, negative coworker evaluations, and perception of being less qualified.

Reverse Discrimination

Overly positive behavior toward a minority group member (such as passing someone who failed or promoting someone not qualified), which does not help in the long run.

Compunction

Feelings of guilt and embarrassment that occur when a non-prejudiced individual acts in a prejudicial manner, causing cognitive dissonance between behavior and attitude.

Realistic Conflict Theory

A theory of direct intergroup conflict stating that prejudice arises from direct competition between groups for limited resources, where one group succeeds only at the expense of the other.

Ingroup

Your own group ("Us"), which members perceive as positive and varied, attributing positive outcomes to internal, stable causes.

Outgroup

People not in your group ("Them"), typically viewed negatively and in stereotyped ways, with positive outcomes attributed to external, unstable causes.

Illusion of Outgroup Homogeneity

The tendency to perceive members of an outgroup as being all alike, which reinforces stereotypes and impairs racial facial identification.

Illusory Correlation

A mistaken belief that two variables are correlated, typically occurring when two infrequent or novel events co-occur and capture disproportionate attention.

Contact Hypothesis

The proposition that direct intergroup contact breaks down the illusion of outgroup homogeneity, particularly when groups have roughly equal socioeconomic status, meet in an informal setting, and pursue superordinate goals.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that require cooperative effort between opposing groups rather than competition where one group succeeds at the expense of the other.

Recategorization

A prejudice-reduction technique where boundaries between "Us" and "Them" are redrawn to create a larger, shared ingroup identity.

Gender-Biased Attributions for Success

Attributing male success to internal factors such as talent and hard work, while attributing female success to external or temporary factors such as luck or an easy task.