Stereotyping & Prejudice II

Definition: A psychological measure used to assess implicit attitudes and biases by analyzing reaction times to different stimuli.
Key Pairings in IAT:
- Stereotypic: White/Good, Black/Bad
- Counterstereotypic: Black/Good, White/Bad

Reaction Time: Measures the speed of responses to stereotypic versus counterstereotypic pairings; faster reactions indicate stronger associations.
Error Rates: Generally higher for counterstereotypic pairings (Black/Good) compared to stereotypic (White/Good).
Counterbalancing: Designed to prevent order effects by randomizing the pairing sequence for different participants.

Implicit measures often reveal greater biases than explicit self-reports, prompting questions about awareness of implicit attitudes.
Implicit vs. Explicit Prejudice: Surveys suggest that implicit measures can indicate biases that individuals may be unaware of or afraid to report.

A study found a significant correlation between participants' predictions about their IAT results and their actual scores, indicating self-awareness of biases.

Reliability Concerns: Test-retest reliability is modest (r < 0.5), indicating potential inaccuracies at the individual level but possible usefulness in aggregate assessments.
Not Diagnostic: While it can compare groups, it may not effectively identify individual levels of prejudice.

Communication Study (Dovidio, Kawakami, & Gaertner, 2002): Investigated how implicit and explicit prejudices manifest during interactions.
- Ratings of friendliness varied based on implicit and explicit attitudes, emphasizing non-verbal versus verbal behaviors.

### Sexism
- Sexism includes both benevolent and hostile attitudes, which can coexist and reinforce one another, complicating the perception of women's roles.

Definitions:
- Benevolent Sexism: Positive beliefs about women's moral superiority, necessitating protection.
- Hostile Sexism: Negative beliefs, focusing on disliking women in power.
Insights: These attitudes can coexist, leading to complex stereotypes where positive and negative perceptions support one another, particularly around traditional gender roles.

Bias as a Stressor
- Experiencing bias can threaten basic social motives (belonging, esteem, understanding) leading to chronic stress which adversely affects health.
Discrimination and Well-being
- Chronic exposure to discrimination correlates with poorer mental and physical health and engagement in unhealthy coping behaviors.
### Stereotype Threat
- Definition: The risk of confirming negative stereotypes impairs performance due to anxiety and cognitive resource depletion.
- Effects observed across various groups, such as African American students and women in math/science tasks.

### Contact Hypothesis
- Proposes that interracial contact can reduce prejudice when characterized by positive interactions without competition for resources.
- Evidence Base: 94% of studies support that positive contact diminishes prejudice.

Short-term Approaches: Include vivid counterstereotypic scenarios, priming multiculturalism, and practicing IAT with counter-stereotypic examples.
Long-term Solutions: Established through meaningful interactions like attending classes on prejudice or living with roommates from different backgrounds.

Colorblindness: Advocates for treating everyone the same without acknowledgment of differences; faces criticism for ignoring group-specific experiences.
Multiculturalism: Celebrates and acknowledges differences; may be met with fears of stereotyping but tends to foster engagement among minority workers.

Understanding bias necessitates examining its impact from both the perceiver's and target's perspectives. The complexity of these attitudes underlines the importance of a nuanced approach in studying and mitigating prejudice.