Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study of Stereotyping and Prejudice

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions from Chapter 1 notes on stereotyping and prejudice.

Stereotype (Working Definition)

A set belief about the personal attributes of a group; a cognitive structure containing knowledge, beliefs, and expectations about a group.

Lipman (1922)

"The tendency of people to think of someone or something in similar terms based on a common feature shared by each”

Allport (1954)

An exaggerated belief associated w/ a category

Hamilton and trolier (1986)

a cognitive structure that contains a perceiver's knowledge, beliefs, and expectancies about human group

Stereotype Content

The components of a stereotype: physical features, typical behaviors, prototype, relations among features, personality traits/attributes, goals, and feelings/affect.

Prototype (in Stereotype Content)

An idealized or typical example of a member of a group used within a stereotype.

Typical Behaviors (Stereotype Content)

Expected behaviors attributed to a group in a stereotype.

Prejudice

Biased evaluation of a group, often with negative affect, based solely on reaL or imagined group membership.

• could be + or -

Prejudice as a Social Emotion

The view that prejudice is a social emotion arising from beliefs about a group (Smith’s Social Emotion Theory).

• people have a very specific emotional reactions to groups (e.g., anger, fear, disgust, etc.)

• our emotional reactions to groups are based on our beliefs about (i.e., our appraisals of) that group

• assumptions

Prejudice as Negative affect 

1. Alport (1954): Prejudice is antipathy (- feelings) based upon a faulty or inflexible generalization

   • It may be felt or expressed. It may be directed toward a group as a whole or toward an individual because he or she is a member of that group.

2. Jackson (1992): “differential evaluation that is based solely on category membership”

Discrimination

Actions or behaviors directed toward a social group or its members, including individual and institutional discrimination.

Relationships among stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination

• Positive relationships stereotypes and prejudice

• Weak relationship between stereotypes and discrimination

• Weak relationship between prejudice and discrimination

Attitude toward group

1. stereotypes (cognitive components)→”I believe members of group X are Lazy”

2. prejudice (affective components)→"I dislike members of group X"

3. Discrimination(behavioral components)→"I avoid or treat members of group X unfairly"

Outgroup Homogeneity Effect (OHE)

Tendency to perceive outgroup members as more similar to each other than ingroup members are to each other.

4 consequences of categorization 

1. exaggerate similarities w/in the same group

2. exaggerate differences between groups

3. outgroup homogeneity effect

Park & Rothbart 1982 Findings

2 main findings:

• found OHE: M rated all F alike and F rated all M alike (regardless of major)

• subjects used different levels of categories depending on whether they rated ingroup or outgroup member

• the rating ingroup member, Ss focused on MAJOR, not gender

  • when rating outgroup, Ss focused on GENDER, not major

Park & Rothbart (1982) Assumptions

categorize ingroup members using lower, more specific-level categorize

• categorize outgroup members using higher, more abstract-level categorize

Park & Rothbart (1982) studies method? 

• M/F subjects rated traits of other M/f W/ different majors

  • ex: Tom- bio major was rated

  • Mary- psych major was rated

What did Park & Rothbart (1982) conclude?

• categorize in-groups using specific-level category

• categorize outgroups using abstract-level category

  Why

  • different from ourselves

    • simple

    • don't have to think to much

What categories do we use? 

Basic 

• automatic 

• age, gender, and race  

Ingroup or Outgroup

Ingroup vs Outgroup Categorization Levels

Ingroups are categorized at a specific, concrete level; outgroups at a more abstract level.

What factors determine which categories we use?

• Visual cues

• Primacy

• saliency

• priming 

Visual Cues

Appearance-based information that helps determine categorization.

Primacy

Tendency to give more weight to information learned first about someone.

Saliency

Information that stands out and guides categorization.

Priming

Recent activation of a category makes it more likely to be used in categorization.

Perceptual Accentuation

Exaggeration of within-group similarities and between-group differences due to categorization.

Exaggerate Similarities

Within-group members perceived as more similar to each other than they are.

Exaggerate Differences

Between-group members perceived as more different from each other than they are.

Ingroup Recall Advantage (Label Effect)

Labeling someone as ingroup can increase recall of trait information and accuracy for ingroup members.

Why do we categorize?

1. we are "cognitive misers" -lazy thinkers

2. we have a limited processing capacity

   • categorization helps us to simplify info

   • using categories helps as conserve cognitive capacity so we can devote more effort to other tasks

Macrae, Mine, & Bodenhausen (1994) studies purpose

they were trying to see whether or not using category would free up space in ppl’s brain so they can process other info

Macrae, Mine, & Bodenhausen (1994) method

Ss(subjects) performed 2 simultaneous tasks:

• computer-based impression formation task

• listen to passage about Indonesia

• 2 conditions:

  • 1= participants saw name of the person and the traits

  • 2= participants were give a category

    • Ex: Saw Ss John (skinhead) described as:

      • aggressive -consistent w/ stereotype

      • danger

      • observant

      • 15 more traits..

• When they have a category label makes it easier to convey a impression formation

Dependent measure

• recall of trait info

• multiple choice test on Indonesia

Macrae, Mine, & Bodenhausen (1994) results 

• Recall traits

  • stereotypes label remembered more traits (twice as many)

  • they remembered the consistent traits better

  • Test on Indonesia ppl w/ label got more q's correct

Cognitive Misers

Idea that people are lazy thinkers with limited cognitive processing capacity, so they rely on simple shortcuts like categorization.

Categorization

The process of thinking of a person as a member of a group based on physical characteristics or other categories.

Relationships among stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination

• Stereotypes (cognitive beliefs) and prejudice (biased evaluations or negative affect) often exhibit a positive relationship, meaning one can often influence or reinforce the other.

• There is a weak relationship between stereotypes and discrimination because possessing a stereotype does not always lead to discriminatory behavior; other factors (e.g., social norms, individual values) can intervene.

• The relationship between prejudice (feelings/attitudes) and discrimination (actions) is also weak, as prejudiced attitudes do not consistently result in discriminatory actions due to various intervening situational and personal factors.

What kind of categories do we use?

a. Basic or primitive categories

• automatic

• age, gender, race

b. Ingroup or Outgroup

• ingroup: any group in which we are member

• outgroup: any group in which we are Not a member