PSYCH Ch.10 - Stereotyping, Prejudice & Discrimination

Attitude

Evaluation (positive or negative) of a person, object, idea, event

Stereotypes

Generalization about group, certain traits assigned to all members, regardless of actual variation 

Implicit measurement

• Implicit association test (IAT) - predicts behavior to some extent, prejudice does NOT = discrimination

• Affect misattribution procedure

• Affective priming paradigm

Explicit measurement

Ask people, feelings thermometer

Prejudice

Hostile/negative attitude to people in a distinguishable group, based on their membership in that group

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group/members

Subtyping

Creating a new category for exceptions

Racism

An individual’s prejudicial attitudes & discriminatory behavior toward people of a given race

Sexism

An individual’s prejudicial attitudes & discriminatory behavior taward people of a given SEX

Benevolent sexism

Subjectively positive evaluations that may inadvertently undermine agency

Modern racism

Rejection of explicitly racist beliefs while holding negative, subtle, socially acceptable prejudicial beliefs

Schema theory

humans naturally see similarities & tend to categorize things

Out-group homogeneity effect

• Perception of out-group members as more similar to each other than ingroup members

• Own race bias & line up studies

Dissociation model of prejudice

• Processing info about others is a 2-step process

• Stereotypes are automatically triggered 

We control whether or no we accept the stereotypes & if we act on it

Stereotype content model

• Stereotypes people hold of others are structured along: competence & warmth

  • Competent but cold: envied

  • Warm but incompetent: pitied

  • Neither warm nor competent: contempt

Minimal groups

• People give more benefits to their in-group & try to emphasize relative differences with out-groups

• Even when they don’t know their in-group members

Minimal group paradigm

• Arbitrary groups created

• People assume their beliefs are more similar to people in their own group

Social identity theory

Self-esteem comes from personal identity AND group memberships

Basking in reflected glory

Group members successes

Cutting off reflected failure

Group members failures

Downward social comparison

With out-groups

In-group favoritism & out-group denigrations

lead to self-esteem boosts

Just-world phenomenon

World is fair & people get what they deserve

Blaming the victim

If positive ending - people admire, negative ending - people blame victim

Ethnocentrism

Outgroup is vilified & ingroup is glorified

Realistic group conflict theory

• Actual competition for resources or competing goals between groups → conflict → prejudices

• More prejudice when resources are limited

Superordinate goal

Groups work together for common goal

Socio-Functional Model

• Prejudice is not the same for every group

• Prejudice is based on the specific threat posed by the group

  • Dif emotional/behavioral reactions based on specific threat

Stereotype threat

Disruptive concern (fear) about verifying a negative stereotype