Unit 4 Indetifying & Understanding Prejudice & Discrimination

Stereotype

A generalized belief about a particular category of people, often oversimplified and not based on direct experience.

• Stereotypes can help reduce cognitive load by providing a quick, if oversimplified, way to categorize people and situations without the need for detailed processing of every new piece of information.

Confirmation Bias

A tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

When a belief about a situation or a person leads to actions that make the belief come true.

Belief Perseverance

The tendency to hold on to one's initial beliefs even after they have been shown to be false, often ignoring contradictory evidence presented.

Prejudice

an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves negative emotions, stereotyped beliefs, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.

Discrimination

 unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members. 

Implicit Attitudes

Unconscious beliefs or feelings that influence a person's behavior and perceptions without their awareness.

Just-World Phenomenon

A belief that the world is fundamentally fair, leading people to rationalize injustice or misfortune as deserved.

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

The tendency to see members of an outgroup as more similar to each other than they really are, often perceiving them as less varied than members of one's own group.

In-Group Bias

The tendency to favor and extend loyalty to members of one's own group over those in other groups, often leading to preferential treatment and judgment.

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon where repeated exposure to a stimulus increases an individual's preference for that stimulus.

Ethnocentrism

The belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture, often accompanied by a feeling of contempt for other groups.

Collectivism

A cultural value that emphasizes the importance of the group or community over individual goals and desires, prioritizing group cohesion and interdependence.

Multiculturalism

The view that promotes the acknowledgment and respect of diverse cultural backgrounds and traditions, encouraging the coexistence and value of various cultural identities within a society.

Social Traps

Situations in which individuals or groups pursue immediate rewards that later prove to have negative or even catastrophic consequences for the larger community.