Stereotypes SAQ (formation and effects)

Stereotypes

Fixed, overgeneralized beliefs about a group of people that simplify social interactions but often overlook individual differences.

Cognitive function of stereotypes

They act as schemas that help people process information efficiently but can result in biased perceptions and behaviour.

Illusory correlation

The false belief that two unrelated things are connected, especially when they co-occur infrequently.

Aim of Cohen (1981)

To investigate how stereotypes influence memory encoding and retrieval of social information.

Procedure of Cohen (1981)

96 college students watched a video of a woman having dinner. Half were told she was a librarian, and half were told she was a waitress. They were later asked to recall details from the video.

Participants in Cohen (1981)

96 college students

Findings of Cohen (1981)

Participants remembered more stereotype-consistent details: the 'librarian' group recalled her listening to classical music and wearing glasses; the 'waitress' group remembered her drinking beer and watching TV.

Conclusion of Cohen (1981)

Pre-existing stereotypes influence memory. Participants encoded and recalled details consistent with the stereotype they were primed with, showing schema-driven processing.

Cohen's study on stereotype formation

It demonstrates how stereotypes guide attention and memory, reinforcing biased perceptions even when inconsistent information is present.

Effects of stereotypes on behaviour

Stereotypes not only affect how we perceive others but also how we believe we are being perceived, influencing our own behaviour and performance.

Stereotype threat

The fear of confirming a negative stereotype about one's group, which can cause anxiety, reduced working memory, and impaired performance.

Aim of Inzlicht & Ben-Zeev (2000)

To examine whether women perform worse on math tests in male-dominated environments due to stereotype threat.

Method of Inzlicht & Ben-Zeev (2000)

72 female participants took either a maths or verbal test in either majority (only female) or minority (2 men per 1 woman) conditions. Half of the participants were greeted by female researcher, half by male. Participants told that results would be shared with the group.

Findings of Inzlicht & Ben-Zeev (2000)

There were no differences across conditions for the verbal test. However, in the maths test, women in the minority condition performed worse than those in the majority condition.

Conclusion of Inzlicht & Ben-Zeev (2000)

The awareness of gender stereotypes impaired women's performance due to anxiety and cognitive overload — key features of stereotype threat.

Impact of stereotypes on performance

Through stereotype threat, which can increase stress, reduce working memory capacity, and lead to poorer outcomes in evaluative situations.

Link between stereotype formation and effect

Formed through illusory correlation and maintained through schema processing, stereotypes can influence perception and also impair behaviour via stereotype threat.