Chapter 13: Prejudice

Longest

Prejudice

a negative attitude or feeling toward an individual or group based on their membership in a particular category, often without sufficient knowledge, reason, or experience. Judging people before knowing them personally.

3 components of prejudice

Cognitive

Affective

Behavioral

Cognitive

beliefs or stereotypes about a group

Affective 

emotional reactions toward the group

Behavioral

actions or tendencies to act in certain ways toward the group.

Hostile sexism

negative, antagonistic attitudes toward women who are seen as challenging male power.

Benevolent sexim

subjectively positive but patronizing attitudes, viewing women as needing protection or idealizing them in stereotypical roles.

Institutional discrimination

built into social, economic, or political systems, often unintentionally.

Self-fulfilling prophecy and prejudice

expectations about a group cause behavior that confirms those expectations.

Social identity threat (stereotype threat)

when people fear confirming a negative stereotype about their group, which can impair their performance. (reminded of stereotype)

Normative rules and prejudice

social norms about what is acceptable behavior. Prejudice can be maintained if society implicitly or explicitly supports biased attitudes or discriminatory behaviors.

Ethnocentrism

judging others cultures or groups by the standards of one’s own culture, often seeing one’s group as superior.

Social identity theory 

people derive part of their self-concept from the groups they belong to. 

In-group favoritism: people prefer their own group. 

Out-group bias: people may devalue or discriminate against other groups to boost their own self-esteem.

Realistic conflict theory

Prejudice arises from competition over limited resources.

Robbers cave state park study (Muzafer Sherif)

Two groups of boys at a summer camp were kept separate, developed group identities, and competed, which caused conflict and hostility. Cooperation toward shared goals (superordinate goals) reduced conflict and increased positive relations.

Extended contact effect

knowing that a member of your group has a close friend in an out-group can reduce prejudice toward that out-group, even without direct contact.

Conditions for the contact hypothesis

• Equal status

• Common goals 

• Intergroup cooperation

• Support of authorities, laws, or norms

Equal status

groups are on equal footing

common goals

groups work toward the same objective

Intergroup cooperation

groups must cooperate, not compete

Support of authorities, law, or norms

positive contact is endorsed by social or institutional leaders.

Interdependence 

when groups rely on each other to achieve a goal, fostering cooperation and reducing prejudice. 

Jigsaw classroom

• A teaching method where students are divided into diverse groups, and each member learns a piece of the lesson and teaches it to the others

Jigsaw classroom and prejudice

• Reduces prejudice by:

  • Promoting interdependence

  • Encouraging equal status

  • Facilitating positive personal contact

  • Increasing empathy and perspective-taking