Stereotype formation; Theory 1 - illusory correlation

Illusory Correlation

Perception of a relationship between group and behavior where there was none.

Distinctiveness-based illusory correlation

Relationship is believed to assist between 2 variables as the result of special attention given to distinctive (infrequent) information

Expectancy-based illusory correlation

Mistakenly see relationships due to pre-existing expectations surrounding them.

Factors that influence

• More prone to it when forming an opinion of a group when our cognitive resources are strained

  • Less demand on cognitive resources, the better placed to evaluate information we are as we receive it

• Aging declines ability to reason and test hypotheses

  • Aging population may be more prone to illusory correlation due to lesser ability of on-line process information about the groups

Why does it occur?

Debate over processes that are responsible

• Whether the impressions formed at the time of evaluative judgement:

  • is using information retrieved from memory or made on-line at the time information about group members' are received

• Evaluative judgement

  • Hamilton and Gifford.

  • Suggested a memory advantage for minority group's undesirable behavior. As behaviors more salient, processed more and are more accessible from memory.

• On-line processes suggest the groups are labeled as they must differ in some way

  • We seek to evaluate the groups as we receive information about them, generating hypotheses about how they differ.