Week 4: Discrimination Part 1

A collection of flashcards covering key concepts of prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping as discussed in the lecture.

Prejudice

Typically negative feeling towards a member of a group because of their group membership.

Stereotype

A fixed, over generalized belief about a particular group or class of people.

Explicit Attitudes

Attitudes that are consciously held and can be reported by individuals.

Implicit Attitudes

Biases that are activated involuntarily and without our awareness.

Illusory Correlation

An incorrect belief that two events are related when they actually are not.

Internalized Racism

An individual's acceptance of societal negative stereotypes about their own racial group.

Reactivity

When individuals may be unaware of their true attitudes, leading to unstable responses.

Socially Desirable Responses

Responses given by participants that are intended to present themselves in a favorable light.

Attitude Measurement

The process of inferring a person’s attitude from their responses to specific questions.

Discrimination

Actual violence or action with a negative impact on a minority group.

Which component of bias refers to the cognitive, over-generalized beliefs held about a group?

A) Prejudice
B) Stereotype
C) Discrimination
D) Reactivity

Answer: B) Stereotype

What is the primary difference between explicit and implicit attitudes?

Explicit attitudes are consciously held and can be directly reported by the individual, whereas implicit attitudes are involuntary biases that occur without conscious awareness.

An individual who provides answers that they believe will make them look better to the researcher is demonstrating:

A) Reactivity
B) Internalized Racism
C) Socially Desirable Responses
D) Illusory Correlation

Answer: C) Socially Desirable Responses

How does 'Reactivity' affect the validity of attitude measurement?

Reactivity occurs when participants change their behavior or responses because they are aware they are being observed, leading to results that may not reflect their true attitudes.

Believing that two unrelated events (such as a specific group and a negative behavior) are linked when no actual relationship exists is known as:

A) Implicit Bias
B) Illusory Correlation
C) Explicit Attitude
D) Discrimination

Answer: B) Illusory Correlation

What are the consequences of 'Internalized Racism' for a member of a marginalized group?

It leads the individual to accept and incorporate societal negative stereotypes about their own racial group into their own self-image and belief system.

Which of the following is considered the behavioral component of bias?

A) Prejudice
B) Stereotype
C) Discrimination
D) Social Desirability

Answer: C) Discrimination

Why is 'Attitude Measurement' often conducted through inference rather than direct observation?

Because attitudes are internal constructs that cannot be seen directly; researchers must infer them from an individual's verbal or written responses to specific prompts.

Which component of bias is characterized specifically by feelings or affective responses toward a group?

A) Stereotype
B) Prejudice
C) Discrimination
D) Cognition

Answer: B) Prejudice

Why might an individual's explicit and implicit attitudes differ significantly?

Explicit attitudes are influenced by conscious values and social norms, whereas implicit attitudes reflect automatic associations and cultural biases that the individual may not consciously recognize or endorse.

What is a common psychological tool used to measure implicit attitudes by bypassing social desirability bias?

A) Likert Scales
B) Self-report Surveys
C) Implicit Association Test (IAT)
D) Direct Observation

Answer: C) Implicit Association Test (IAT)

In the context of stereotyping, how does an 'illusory correlation' typically form?

It occurs when an observer overestimates the relationship between a distinctive group (like a minority) and an infrequent or salient behavior (like a crime), creating a false cognitive link.

Which of the following is an example of discrimination as opposed to prejudice?

A) Feeling uncomfortable around a certain demographic
B) Rejecting a qualified job applicant based on their ethnicity
C) Believing a specific group is naturally better at math
D) Disliking a specific cultural tradition

Answer: B) Rejecting a qualified job applicant based on their ethnicity

How do stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination align with the ABC model of attitudes?

Stereotypes represent the Cognitive component (C), Prejudice represents the Affective component (A), and Discrimination represents the Behavioral component (B).

Self-report measures are often criticized in bias research because participants may provide:

A) Implicit associations
B) Socially desirable responses
C) Illusory correlations
D) Internalized stereotypes

Answer: B) Socially desirable responses

What role does 'Automaticity' play in implicit attitudes?

Implicit attitudes operate through automaticity, meaning they are triggered quickly and without intentional effort or conscious control when encountering a social stimulus.

What is the 'cognitive miser' perspective in the context of stereotyping?

It suggests that because humans have limited mental resources, they use stereotypes as mental shortcuts (heuristics) to simplify and process complex social information quickly.

How can stereotypes lead to a 'self-fulfilling prophecy'?

When an individual's expectations about a group lead them to act in ways that cause a group member to behave as expected, thereby 'proving' the original stereotype.

Define the 'Out-group Homogeneity Effect'.

The tendency for people to view members of an out-group as more similar to one another than they actually are, while perceiving their own in-group as more diverse.

What is 'In-group Favoritism'?

The tendency to respond more positively to people from our own groups than we do to people from groups to which we do not belong.

What is the 'Ultimate Attribution Error'?

The tendency to attribute negative out-group behavior to internal flaws and positive out-group behavior to external circumstances (luck or chance).

In terms of dual-process models, how are implicit and explicit attitudes categorized?

Implicit attitudes are typically driven by automatic System 1 processing, while explicit attitudes involve more deliberate, reflective System 2 processing.

How does 'Social Identity Theory' relate to prejudice?

It posits that individuals seek to enhance their self-esteem by identifying with specific social groups and viewing their own group as superior to others.

What is the difference between 'Stigma' and 'Stereotype'?

A stereotype is a generalized belief about a group, whereas a stigma is a powerful social label that devalues an individual and links them to undesirable characteristics.