stereotypes and culture and cognition

part 2 of socialcultural approach

Define stereotyping

A social perception of an individual in terms of group membership or physical attributes. A generalisation made by a group and is picked up by experience and cultural influence.

Define illusory correlation

When people see a relationship between two variables even when there is none. e.g woman are bad at driving

What’s the grain of truth hypothesis?

when a personal experience with an individual from a group can generalise to the rest of the group. Assumptions that one individual behaviour represents the group.

What is the expectancy based approach in Hamilton and Gifford study?

When we mistakenly see relationships due to our pre-existing expectations. E.g You see a quite Liberian and assume Liberians are introverts and quite therefore strengthen your bias

what is the distinctiveness - based approach in the Hamilton and Gifford study?

When a relationship is believed to exist between two variables due to focusing too much. (this is what Hamilton and Gifford are looking at)

What was the aim for Hamilton and Giffords study?

To investigate the effects of illusory correlation on stereotyping

What was the procedure of the Hamilton and Gifford study?

• 40 Americans 20 males and 20 females

• shown a slide with a statement about a member of one of two groups.

• Twice as many un group A then B → A(26) B(13)

• Participants were told that Group B is smaller then Group A

• Each group had a proportional amount of positive and negative statments

• Participants were then asked to rank members of each group on a series of 20 traits

• given a booklet in which they were given a statement and then asked whether the person who did this was from Group A or Group B.

what were the results of the Hamilton and Gifford study?

• On the trait rating group A was ranked higher then group B

• In the booklet participants correctly recalled more positive traits for Group A (74%) then group B (54%)

What is the conclusion if the Hamilton and Gifford study?

• Confirmed the disctiviness - based approach

• Group B was smaller and therefore there flaws were more distinct (focused on)

• This demonstrates why negative stereotypes may be more common for minority groups than for the majority

Define the term Out-group homogeneity

Makes It easier to apply stereotypes to the members of the out-group without having to consider whether the characteristics are actually true.

What was the aim in Hillard’s and Libens study?

To investigate how social category salience (make things more noticeable) may play a role on the development of stereotypes and inter-group behaviour in elementary school children

What was the Procedure of Hillard’s and Libens study?

• 57 US children ranging from 3-5 years

• pre-test / post-test design

• Each child completed a gender attitude test to see their gender flexibility. → showed pictures of a bunch of tasks and asked them if boys or girls or both should preform it.

• Lower number of “both” responses indicate a higher level of gender stereotypes

• A second measure was taken by observing their play to determine to what extent they played with same-sex vs opposite-sex peers.

• The schools were randomly allocated to two conditions:

  • High salience condition : Children were made aware of their gender. Using gender terminology. No competition between genders

  • Low silence condition: No instructions given (control group)

What were the results of Hillard’s and Libens study?

• Pre-test: Both groups had a similar number of “both” responses

• high gender salience = significant decrease in “both” responses → High stereotyping

• Low salience no significant change

What was the conclusion of Hillard’s and Libens study?

• Provides evidence for Social Identity theory and stereotyping

• children who were encouraged to take part in more obvious social categorisation were more stereotypical

• demonstrates how out-group homogeneity effects outlook on gender roles

Define culture?

A set of attitudes, behaviours and symbols shared by a larger group of people and usually communicated from on generation to the next. Can be shown through food, gender roles, communication etc..

What is surface culture and deep culture?

• Surface culture: The easily spotted visual differences when in contact with a different group

• Deep culture: The believes, attitudes and values behind surface culture

Define the term enculturation

The process of adopting or internalising the schemas of your culture. almost unconsciously

Define the term Acculturation

Someone comes into contact with another culture and begins to adopt the norms and behaviours of that culture

Define the Emic approach?

A more inductive approach to the study of culture → challenges psychologists to re-examine their approach of the “truth” regarding culture

Define the term Etic approach?

Applying research findings globally; assumes that behaviour is universal

What’s the aim for the Cole and scribner study?

To investigate if culture had a different effect on memorisation

What’s the procedure of the Cole and scribner study?

• sample size: People in rural Liberia compared to US Children

• Liberians who attended and didn’t attend school

• researchers observed everyday cognitive activity before their experiment.

• Free- recall task → shown large amount of objects and asked to recall them in any order

• Pilot study was conducted before to make sure Liberian participants were familiar with the words

What are the results of the Cole and scriber study?

• The children who did not attend school showed no regular increase in the memory test→ after the age of 10 or 9

  • Remembered approx ten items on the first trial and only remembered two more after 15 practice trails

• The Liberian students who attended school learned materials a lot more rapidly

  • used the categorical similarities of items in the list to aid recall l

what’s the conclusion of Cole and scribner study?

• shows that different method of memorisation differ depending on culture

• people learn to remember in ways that are relevant to their everyday lives, and these do not always mirror the activities that cognitive psychologists use to investigate mental processes.

What’s the aim for Kearins study?

To investigate whether indigenous Australians might perform better on tests that look at the advantage of their ability to encode visual cues

What’s the procedure of Kearins study?

• 44 adolescent desert indigenous Australian aged 12-16 years and 44 adolescent white Australian origin

• desert group = came from different western desert regions → living under semi-traditional conditions

• 20 objects were placed on a board into 20 squares

• the objects were then dumped in front of the groups and asked to arrange them on the board in the same order they were in

What’s the results of the Kearins study?

• results showed that the indigenous children correctly relocated more objects than did white Australian children. It appears that their way of life has a significant impact on how and what they remember.

What was the conclusion of Kearins study?

• children learned memory strategies through their formal education - but education is not only "in school" but by the way that we are raised by our parents.