Stereotypes, Prejudice, & Discrimination and Aggression Lecture Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the social psychology concepts of stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and aggression based on lecture notes.

Prejudice

The affective component of the ABCs representing a negative attitude or unjustified negative emotional reaction toward a distinguishable group based solely on membership.

Discrimination

The behavioral component of the ABCs involving unjustified negative actions toward a group member based solely on their group membership.

Stereotype

The cognitive component of the ABCs involving a generalization about a group of people where identical characteristics are assigned to all members, functioning as a schema.

Modern Racism

A subtle form of racism that emerges in rationalizable ways when it is safe or socially acceptable, often surfacing when there is a perceived discrepancy in a stigmatized person's credentials.

Princeton Trilogy Studies

A series of studies conducted in 1933, 1951, and 1969 that asked students to identify traits of Jewish and African American students, highlighting culturally shared stability in stereotypes over time.

Mere Categorization

The process of using mental shortcuts to reduce complex human dimensions into smaller classifications to render the world more predictable despite limited cognitive capacity.

Out-group Homogeneity

The tendency to perceive members of an out-group as more similar to each other than they actually are, and more similar than members of one's in-group.

Illusory Correlation

The tendency to overestimate the association between variables that are distinctive, such as the infrequent occurrence of a minority group member performing a negative behavior.

Social Identity

The reputation or identity an individual gains by being a member of a specific social group.

Social Identity Theory

A theory by Tajfel (1982) suggesting that self-esteem maintenance is derived from social identification and making favorable inter-group comparisons.

Minimal Group Paradigm

A research framework, exemplified by the "Klee & Kandinsky" study, showing that simple, arbitrary categorization is sufficient to create in-group favoritism.

Optimal Distinctiveness Theory

Brewer's (2007) theory that individuals strive for a balance between the desire to belong (affiliation) and the desire to be unique (distinctiveness).

Ultimate Attribution Error

The tendency to make dispositional attributions about an entire group of people based on a very small number of observations of individual members.

Just World Hypothesis

The belief that the world is fundamentally fair and people get what they deserve, which can lead to the disparaging of group status inequalities.

Realistic Group Conflict

The theory that prejudice and discrimination arise from competition between groups for limited resources.

Scapegoating

A defense mechanism involving the displacement of aggression onto groups that are disliked, visible, and relatively powerless.

Robbers Cave Study

Sherif's study demonstrating that competition for limited resources causes conflict between groups of boys at a camp, which can be reduced through superordinate goals.

Superordinate Goal

A shared goal that requires groups to work together, effectively reducing hostility and conflict as seen in the Robbers Cave study.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

A process where expectations about others are communicated through cues, causing the other person to adjust their behavior to match the expectation, thereby confirming the stereotype.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to pay attention to information that supports existing stereotypes while ignoring contradictory information, as shown in the Stone (1997) baseball study.

Stereotype Threat

The anxiety or tension experienced by members of a minority group that they might confirm a negative stereotype about their group, which can interfere with performance.

Subtyping

The cognitive process of creating a subgroup for individuals who disconfirm a stereotype, allowing the global stereotype to remain intact by treating the individual as an "exception to the rule."

Two-Step Model of Stereotyping

Devine's (1989) model stating that stereotypes are automatically activated from memory, but can be controlled through effortful, conscious processing given enough time and capacity.

Shooter Bias

A finding by Correll et al. (2002) where participants were quicker and more likely to mistakenly shoot unarmed black targets compared to white targets due to automatic racial stereotypes.

Bonafide Pipeline

Fazio's (1995) technique using reaction times to adjectives preceded by racial primes to measure automatic negative reactions that predict real social behavior.

Ironic Rebound Effects

The phenomenon where efforts to externally suppress stereotypical thoughts under social pressure cause those thoughts to become more mentally accessible later.

Contact Hypothesis

The premise that direct contact between hostile groups reduces prejudice under conditions of equal status, personal interaction, cooperative activities, and supportive social norms.

Common In-group Identity Model

A model for reducing prejudice through decategorization (individualizing members) and recategorization (creating a more inclusive, shared identity).

Hostile Aggression

Physical or verbal behavior driven by anger where hurting the target is the end goal; also referred to as emotional or reactive aggression.

Instrumental Aggression

Physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt as a means to some other end, characterized by being planned or strategic.

Ego Depletion

The state where self-regulation resources are exhausted, making it harder to control emotional reactions, such as during high temperatures.

Desensitization

Emotional numbing resulting from repeated exposure to violence, leading to it feeling more normal and less upsetting.

Media Cultivation

The capacity of mass media to construct a social reality that people perceive to be true, even if it does not accurately reflect reality.

Weapons Effect

The finding that the mere presence of weapons can act as a prime to increase aggressive thoughts and behaviors, especially when a person is already angry.

Frustration-Aggression Theory

The theory that frustration (blocking of a goal-directed behavior) always leads to some form of aggression, which may be displaced onto a safer target.

Culture of Honor

A social norm, particularly among white Southerners, where aggression is considered an appropriate and necessary response to insults to protect one's reputation.

Alcohol Myopia

A condition where alcohol narrows attention to immediate, salient cues and reduces the ability to consider distant consequences, thereby enhancing aggressiveness.

Relational Aggression

A form of indirect aggression more common in women, involving social exclusion, gossip, or the damaging of relationships.