Week 5 - Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Common Sense Test

A series of statements regarding biases based on race and their implications.

Interracial interactions

Tend to go better and reduce perceptions of racism if a color-blind mentality is used.

African American student performance

An African American student is likely to perform worse on an athletic task if described as reflecting sports intelligence.

Mortality reminder effect

Being reminded of one's own mortality tends to reduce ingroup-outgroup distinctions and hostilities.

Quick judgments and stereotypes

People's very quick judgments are not influenced by a stereotype unless they believe the stereotype to be true.

Quote by Martin Luther King Jr.

The arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

Obama's presidency

A remarkable milestone reflecting progress in civil rights, as his African American father faced discrimination.

2019 U.S. Congress diversity

A record number of women and people of color began their terms.

Women's movements

Have sparked profound change in discussions and norms concerning sexual harassment, coercion, and assault.

Attitudes toward interracial and same-sex marriages

Have become much more positive within the past decade or two.

Public response to prejudice

More people than ever rush to support the target and denounce the perpetrator when an act of prejudice is made public.

2019 poll on race relations

About 6 in 10 Americans characterized race relations in the U.S. as bad.

Hate crimes statistics 2017

Hate crimes targeting African Americans jumped by 16% compared to the previous year.

Hate crimes against religious groups 2017

Increased by 23% compared to the previous year.

Harassment of Jews

An indicator of the increase in prejudice and discrimination against Jews in recent years.

Harassment of Jews

The number of countries where Jews have been harassed by the government or social groups is extraordinarily high.

Violent deaths of transgender people

A record-high 29 violent deaths of transgender people were reported in 2018.

Anti-Muslim prejudice

Anti-Muslim prejudice has increased in many parts of the West.

Homosexuality laws in Brunei

In 2019, the kingdom of Brunei enacted laws that would punish same-sex relations with death by stoning.

Racism

Prejudice and discrimination based on a person's racial background, or institutional and cultural practices that promote the domination of one racial group over another.

Violent attacks against Jews in France

In 2018, the rate of violent attacks against Jews in France rose by 74%.

Violent attacks against Jews in Germany

In 2018, the rate of violent attacks against Jews in Germany rose by 60%.

Intergroup bias

The nature of the problem of intergroup bias in contemporary life.

Complexity of stereotypes

Understanding the complexity and causes of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination is critically important.

Progress in addressing biases

The chapter discusses some of the progress made concerning stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.

Persistence of biases

The chapter addresses the persistence of more subtle forms of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.

Nature of racism

Racism exists at several different levels.

Cultural practices

Cultural practices can promote the domination of one racial group over another.

Political rallies

Chants targeting Jews, Muslims, and people of color became common at political rallies.

Cultural and ethnic replacement

A manifesto stated, 'I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by the Hispanic invasion of Texas.'

Long arc of justice

The arc of the moral universe may bend toward justice, but it is indeed a long arc.

Frustrating progress

Progress is frustratingly unsteady, at its best a 'two steps forward and one step back' motion.

Research literature focus

The section primarily concentrates on racism and sexism.

Defining prejudice

Defining concepts such as prejudice or racism is complex.

Individual racism

At the individual level, any of us can be racist toward anyone else.

Racism

Institutional and cultural practices that promote the domination of one racial group over another.

Systemic Racism

The institutional and cultural levels of racial discrimination.

Sexism

Prejudice and discrimination based on a person's gender or as institutional and cultural practices that promote the domination of one gender (typically men) over another (typically women).

Stereotypes

Beliefs or associations that link whole groups of people with certain traits or characteristics.

Prejudice

Negative feelings about others because of their connection to a social group.

Discrimination

Negative behaviors directed against persons because of their membership in a particular group.

Influence of Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination can operate somewhat independently, but they often influence and reinforce each other.

Decrease in Racial Prejudice

Racial prejudice and discrimination have been decreasing in the United States and in many other countries over the past many decades.

Interracial Marriage Statistics

1 in 6 newlyweds in 2015 married someone of a different race or ethnicity, compared to only 1 in 33 in 1967.

Katz and Braly Study (1933)

A study that found white college students viewed the average white American as smart, industrious, and ambitious, and the average black American as superstitious, ignorant, lazy, and happy-go-lucky.

Change in Perceptions of Black Americans (1933-2001)

In follow-up surveys, negative images of blacks largely faded and were replaced by more favorable images.

Public Opinion on Racial Prejudice

Public opinion polls have indicated that racial prejudice in the United States has dropped sharply since World War II.

Security Incident Example

A black Columbia University senior was forcibly pinned down by security officers after being stopped multiple times to show his college ID.

Cultural Signals of Value

Popular culture may signal what kinds of people are most and least valued.

Institutional Hiring Practices

Institutions may unwittingly perpetuate racism by tending to accept or hire individuals similar or connected to the people who already are in the institution.

Negative Behaviors

Behaviors specifically directed against persons because of their membership in a particular group.

Beliefs vs. Feelings vs. Behaviors

Stereotypes concern associations or beliefs, prejudice concerns feelings, and discrimination concerns behaviors.

Racial Prejudice in Western Europe

Elements of racial prejudice may once again be on the rise, particularly in western Europe.

Demographic Changes in Stereotypes

Follow-up surveys with demographically similar samples of white students showed a significant change in perceptions of black Americans over decades.

Racial Discrimination

Negative behaviors directed against persons because of their membership in a particular racial group.

Cultural Practices

Practices that may promote the domination of one group over another in society.

Social Group Membership

Connection to a social group that can lead to prejudice and discrimination.

Legislation and Social Research

Close examination of legislation, opinion polls, sociological data, and social psychological research indicates trends in racial prejudice.

Interracial Marriage Approval

The percentage of people approving or disapproving of marriage between Blacks and Whites, with varying statistics over the years.

Gallup Poll on Race Relations

In 2019, 40% of Americans reported worrying a 'great deal' about race relations, an increase from 17% five years prior.

Facebook Posts by Police Officers

The Philadelphia Police Department announced it would fire 13 officers for racist, homophobic, and violent posts targeting minority groups.

Systemic Discrimination

Persistent forms of discrimination that affect African American and Hispanic individuals compared to white Americans in various quality-of-life variables.

Airbnb Racial Bias Study

A study found that people renting out housing via Airbnb were 16% less likely to accept applications from individuals with distinctly African American names.

Racial Outgroup Bias in Airbnb

A study found bias against racial outgroup member hosts who advertised their properties on Airbnb.

Discrimination in Employment

African American and Hispanic individuals face systemic discrimination in employment opportunities compared to white Americans.

Discrimination in Housing

Systemic discrimination persists in housing, affecting African American and Hispanic individuals in comparison to white Americans.

Discrimination in Education

African American and Hispanic individuals suffer from systemic discrimination in educational opportunities compared to white Americans.

Discrimination in Incarceration Rates

Systemic discrimination is evident in the higher incarceration rates of African American and Hispanic individuals compared to white Americans.

Quality-of-Life Variables

Factors such as housing, employment, salaries, and education that are impacted by systemic discrimination.

Prejudice in Public Spaces

Incidents of public prejudice, such as a woman calling the police on a city worker for looking 'illegal' and 'creepy from Mexico.'

Racial Disrespect in Service Industry

An incident where elderly women yelled at a manager for speaking Spanish, expressing disrespect towards non-English speakers.

Improving Trends vs. Bias

Despite overall improving trends in attitudes, acts of bias and systemic discrimination continue to occur regularly.

Editorial Review on Content

A statement indicating that suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience.

Cengage Learning Copyright

Copyright 2021 Cengage Learning, stating that the material may not be copied, scanned, or duplicated.

Sources for Attitude Changes

Citations from Moberg et al. (2019) and Newport (2015) regarding changes in attitudes toward interracial marriage.

Historical Wording on Marriage

Different wording used in surveys about interracial marriage over the years, such as 'white and colored people' and 'whites and nonwhites.'

Racial Bias in Applications

Evidence showing that racial bias affects the acceptance of applications in various contexts, including housing.

Data from Archival Analyses

Research methods that continue to show systemic discrimination against African American and Hispanic individuals.

Public Perception of Race Relations

The general public's perception of race relations, which has shown significant concern over recent years.

Prejudiced Individuals

Individuals exhibiting obvious bias, which is a concern despite improving societal trends.

Racial Discrimination

Significant racial discrimination against nonwhite applicants found in a meta-analysis of 97 field experiments involving more than 200,000 job applications.

Felony Drug Conviction

White applicants with a felony drug conviction were more likely to get invited for a job interview than an equally qualified black man with no criminal record.

Modern Racism

A form of prejudice that surfaces in subtle ways when it is safe, socially acceptable, and easy to rationalize.

Aversive Racism

Racism that concerns the ambivalence between fair-minded attitudes and beliefs on the one hand and unconscious and unrecognized prejudicial feelings and beliefs on the other.

Old-Fashioned Racism

Blatant, explicit, and unmistakable racism as illustrated by examples of racist taunting.

Bias in Umpiring

Umpires were more likely to call strikes for pitchers of the same race/ethnicity, particularly under conditions of low accountability.

Conditions for Racial Bias in Umpiring

Racial/ethnic bias in umpiring emerged only if the game was played in ballparks without computerized monitoring, if attendance was low, and if the call was not the final ball or strike.

Racial Ambivalence

Many people want to see themselves as fair but still harbor feelings of anxiety and discomfort about other racial groups.

Theories of Modern Racism

Emphasize contradictions and tensions that lead to subtle, often unconscious forms of prejudice and discrimination.

Samuel Gaertner and John Dovidio

Proposed the concept of aversive racism, highlighting the ambivalence between fair-minded attitudes and unconscious prejudicial feelings.

Racist Taunting

Examples include students chanting racial slurs at basketball games and throwing bananas at a black high school football team.

Soccer Game Racism

Racist chants are so frequent at soccer games that there is a dedicated Wikipedia page documenting the issue.

Major League Baseball Analysis

An analysis of over 3.5 million pitches found racial bias in umpiring decisions based on the race/ethnicity of pitchers.

Racism in Sports

Illustrated through various incidents of racial slurs and taunts in high school and professional sports.

Accountability in Umpiring

Racial bias in umpiring was evident when there was the least accountability or public outcry.

Subtle Prejudice

Modern racism is far more subtle and tends to surface under the cloud of ambiguity.

Stereotypes and Discrimination

Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination in contemporary life exist under the surface to a greater extent than most people realize.

Germs and Racism

Like germs, the existence of stereotypes and prejudice can have a profound effect despite being hidden.

microaggression

Everyday, typically subtle but hurtful forms of discrimination experienced frequently by members of targeted groups.

implicit racism

Racism that operates unconsciously and unintentionally, surfacing in subtle ways often clouded by ambiguity.