Social Psych Ch. 13 - Prejudice

Attitudes are made up of 3 components:

Cognitive, affective/emotional, and behavioral

Affective/Emotional Component

Refers to the emotional reactions or feelings one has toward an object, person, or issue.

• Prejudice

Cognitive Component

Refers to the thoughts, beliefs, and attributes one associates with an object, person, or issue.

• Stereotypes

Behavioral

Component refers to the actions or observable behaviors one exhibits toward an object, person, or issue based on their attitudes.

• Discrimination

Prejudice

The affective component of an attitude

• A hostile or negative attitude toward people in a distinguishable group, based solely on their membership in that group

Stereotypes

The cognitive component of attitudes

• Schemas around group membership and are separate from the positive or negative emotions that may or may not be associated

Discrimination

The behavioral component of the attitude

• Actual actions taken

Out-Group Homogeneity Effect

The perception that members of an out-group are more similar to each other than they actually are, leading to stereotypes about that group.

• The belief that “they” are all alike and different from “us”

Ultimate Attribution Error

The tendency to attribute negative behaviors of members of an out-group to their character, while attributing similar behaviors of in-group members to situational factors. This bias reinforces stereotypes and prejudice.

Stereotype Threat

The fear or anxiety that one will confirm a negative stereotype about their social group, potentially affecting performance.

• “Girls are bad at math” so a girl may underperform on a math exam due to the fear of validating the stereotype, which may hinder her ability to perform well.

Justification-Suppression Model

A theory suggesting that individuals may suppress their prejudiced feelings by justifying them through social and personal beliefs, allowing them to feel comfortable despite maintaining prejudiced views.

Social Categorization

The process of classifying individuals into groups based on shared characteristics, often leading to the simplification of social interactions and the formation of stereotypes.

Jane Elliot’s Classroom Experiment

A groundbreaking experiment designed to demonstrate the impact of discrimination on students by dividing them based on eye color, illustrating how prejudice can affect self-esteem and academic performance.

Children acted differently toward each other, the “superior” group acting arrogant and the “inferior” group showing decreased confidence

Effects of Prejudice on Self-Esteem

• Feelings of worthlessness

• Diminished self-esteem

• Negative impacts on mental health

Clarks’ Doll Experiment (1947)

A psychological study that examined children's attitudes towards race by asking them to choose between dolls of different skin colors, revealing internalized racism and preference for white dolls among African American children.

How can prejudice be reduced?

• Both groups are of equal status

• Both share a common goal

Sherif & Colleagues (1961) found

• Once hostility and distrust were established, simply removing a conflict and the competition did not restore harmony

• Bringing two competing groups together in neutral situations actually increased their hostility and distrust

• They discovered that conflict reduction requires cooperative activities that establish shared goals.

Mutual Interdependence

The need to depend on each other to accomplish a goal that is important to both groups, which can help to reduce prejudice and increase relations

When Contact Reduces Prejudice

• Mutual interdependence

• Common goal

• Equal status

• Friendly, informal setting

• Knowing multiple out-group members

• Social norms of equality

Goldberg (1968)

found that individuals evaluated job applicants more favorably when they believed that the applications were authored by a male, highlighting gender biases in employment.

• Female college students read scholarly articles authored by either a male or female. Their evaluations were influenced by the perceived gender of the author, demonstrating the impact of gender stereotypes in academic credibility.

Boys learn to protect their egos by attributing their own failures to __, while girls attribute their failures towards __

Bad luck, themselves

Bigotry

intolerance toward those who are different or hold different beliefs.

• A combination of prejudice and discrimination

Where does prejudice come from?

The creation of groups

Realistic Conflict Theory

suggests that prejudice arises from competition for limited resources between groups.

• Prejudice attitudes tend to increase when times are tense, and conflicts exists over mutually exclusive goals

When resources are scarce:

• In-group members will feel more threatened by out-group

• Incidents of prejudice, discrimination, and violence toward out-group members will increase

• Us vs. Them” mindset

Automatic Processing of Stereotypes

Occurs whenever an appropriate stimulus is encountered - either a member of a stereotyped group or contact with a stereotypical statement - causing the stereotypes for that group to be accessed from memory

• Occurs without awareness

• Not purposefully thinking these thoughts

Controlled Processing of Stereotypes

Involves conscious, deliberate thought when evaluating individuals or situations. It requires attention and cognitive effort, often leading to more reflective and less biased judgments. This type of processing contrasts with automatic processing and allows individuals to counteract stereotypes and make more equitable decisions.

Hostile Sexists

Individuals who hold negative attitudes toward women, believing that traditional gender roles should be preserved and often expressing resentment towards women who challenge those roles.

Benevolent Sexists

Individuals who hold positive attitudes towards women but in a paternalistic way, viewing them as needing protection and support, which reinforces traditional gender roles.

• “Women are great mothers and cooks”