Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination identified in the lecture notes.

Prejudice

Negative attitude toward an individual, based solely on their presumed membership in a particular group.

Stereotypes

Overgeneralized beliefs about the traits and attributes of members of a particular group.

Discrimination

Negative behavior toward an individual solely on the basis of that person’s group membership.

In-group bias

The preference for members of one’s own group over members of out-groups.

Ethnocentrism

Viewing the world through one's own cultural value system and judging others based on those values.

Implicit prejudice

Negative attitudes or unconscious reactions associated with an out-group that an individual is unaware of.

Aversive racism

Conflicting and often unconscious negative feelings about BIPOC individuals whilst supporting racial equality.

Kernel of truth hypothesis

The idea that stereotypes may contain some element of truth but are often overly simplistic.

Out-group homogeneity effect

The tendency to view out-group members as more similar to each other than they really are.

Stereotype threat

The fear of confirming a negative stereotype about one's group, which can undermine performance.

Social identity threat

Feeling that one’s group is not valued in a specific domain, leading to disidentification.

Self-serving bias

The tendency to attribute positive events to oneself but negative events to external factors.

Cognitive schemas

Mental structures that organize knowledge and guide the processing of information.

Displaced aggression

Redirecting hostility from a targeted individual to another, often less threatening target.

Social role theory

Stereotypes about groups are often based on historical roles and cultural constraints.

Dual-process view of prejudice

The model explaining that stereotypes can be activated automatically or regulated through cognitive processes.

Mere exposure effect

The phenomenon by which repeated exposure to an object increases an individual's preference for it.

Regulation of bias

The process of controlling or managing automatic prejudicial thoughts during interactions.

Familiarity-based preference

The tendency to favor people who are familiar or similar to oneself.

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another person.

Perspective taking

The act of considering a situation from another's viewpoint to foster understanding.

Self-esteem

One's sense of personal value or self-worth, often influenced by group memberships.

Formal laws

Legislation enacted by government entities to regulate societal behavior and enforce norms.

Institutional discrimination

Unequal treatment of individuals based on group membership, enforced by institutional practices.

Scapegoating

Blaming an out-group for one’s own troubles or challenges, often to preserve self-esteem.

Cognitive control

The ability to regulate thoughts and actions to meet social and contextual demands.

Automatic stereotype activation

Unconscious triggering of stereotypes in situations involving out-groups.

Cultural worldview

The comprehensive framework through which individuals perceive and interpret cultural phenomena.

Hostile feelings

Negative emotions that arise due to frustration, threat, or injustice concerning a certain group.

Intimate contact

Close and personal interactions that facilitate the development of understanding across groups.

Superordinate goal

A shared goal that necessitates cooperation between groups, fostering positive intergroup relations.

Stereotype bias

The influence of stereotypes on how individuals interpret ambiguous information.

Negative reinforcement

Followed behaviors that reinforce a negative action, often observed in prejudice.

Behavioral expectation

Anticipations regarding how a person in a particular group will behave.

Cultural stereotypes

Beliefs and assumptions about groups influenced by cultural values and messages.

Contact hypothesis

The theory proposing that intergroup contact can reduce prejudice under specific conditions.

Historical constraints

Social limitations imposed by past behaviors and structures impacting current perceptions.

Emotional sensitivity task performance

A task measuring how sensitive individuals are to emotional cues, often affected by stereotype threat.

Group memberships

Associations individuals have with specific groups that influence their identity and self-esteem.

Influence of stereotypes

The impact that generalizations about a group have on thoughts, behaviors, and interpretations.

Resistance to bias

Efforts individuals make to challenge their own prejudicial attitudes.

Intergroup cooperation

Collaborative efforts between different social groups aimed at achieving common goals.

Institutional support

Endorsement and facilitation of intergroup contact by established entities.

Social inequities

Disparities in resources and opportunities among different social groups.

Frustration theory

The concept that frustration can lead to negative emotions and attitudes toward out-groups.

Affirmative action

Policies intended to improve opportunities for historically marginalized groups.

Societal norms

Accepted behaviors and beliefs within a culture that shape expectations and judgments.

Validity of stereotypes

The degree to which stereotypes accurately reflect reality, which is often limited.

Implicit attitudes

Unconscious beliefs that can influence judgments and interactions without awareness.

Negative evaluation

Judgments made about individuals based on generalized beliefs or stereotypes.

Positive stereotyping

Applying positive traits to a group, but potentially still harmful.

Cognitive biases

Systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment.