Week 1 - Schemas and Stereotypes

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the Social Psychology lecture notes.

Schema

A set of interrelated cognitions (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, attitudes) that allows us to quickly make sense of a person, situation, event or place on the basis of limited information.

Identification

Assigning a schema to the target.

Application

Processing information according to that schema.

Salient Features

Distinctive features such as dress, physical appearance, skin colour.

Primacy effect

Schemas more likely to be based on earlier information rather than later.

Stereotype

Social perception of an individual in terms of group membership or physical attributes.

Kernel of truth hypothesis

Stereotypes can contain some accurate information about a group, even though stereotypes are exaggerated.