Prejudice, Stereotypes, & Discrimination

Automatic Bias

Unintended, immediate, & irresistible

Aversive Racism

Unexamined racial bias that the person does not intend & would reject, but that avoids inter-racial contact

Indicators correlate w/ discriminatory behavior, despite being the ambiguous result of good intentions gone bad

Blatant Bias

Conscious beliefs, feelings, & behavior that people are perfectly willing to admit, are mostly hostile, & openly favor their own group

Tend to run in packs ; people who openly hate one outgroup tend to hate many others (vise versa)

Discrimination

Behavior that advantages or disadvantages people merely based on their group membership

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Measures relatively automatic biases that favor own group relative to other groups

Asks you to sort categories of people (young names vs old names) and also sort (good things vs bad things) on same or opposite sides

Acts like an attitude about other groups ; Predicts feelings about other individuals from other groups, decisions about them, & behavior toward them (especially nonverbal)

Prejudice

An evaluation or emotion toward people merely based on their group membership

Right-wing Authoritarianism (RWA)

Focuses on value conflicts but endorses respect for obedience & authority in the service of group conformity

Values group unity over individual preferences

See other groups as a threat to cherished values

Self-categorization Theory

Develops social identity theory’s point that people categorize themselves, along with each other into groups, favoring their own group

We favor people like us

Social Dominance Orientation (SDO)

Describes a belief that group hierarchies are inevitable in all societies and even good, to maintain order and stability

Some groups are simply better than others & group equality is not a good ideal

Not the same as being personally dominant & controlling

Correlates w/ lower tolerance, empathy, altruism, & community orientation

Thrive in occupations that maintain existing group hierarchies (police, business, etc.)

Built on fundamental idea that he world is tough & competitive

Social Identity Theory

Notes that people categorize each other into groups, favoring their own group

Also exaggerate the difference between ingroup & outgroup

• Perception that “they” really differ from us, and “they” are all alike

Stereotype Content Model

Shows that social groups are viewed according to their perceived warmth & competence

Good, cooperative intentions, are warm & trustworthy, on our side

Cold competitors/exploiters, not on our side

Stereotypes

Belief that characterizes people based merely on their group membership

Subtle Biases

Automatic, ambiguous, & ambivalent, but real in their consequences