Lecture12_StereotypesDiscrimination

Introduction to Psychology

• Psychology explores attitudes, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.

Today's Topics

• Key concepts:

  • Stereotypes, Prejudice, Discrimination

  • Implicit & Explicit attitudes

  • Measuring Attitudes

  • Members of Stigmatized Groups

Learning Objectives

• Understanding:

  • What an attitude is

  • How attitudes are measured, especially using the IAT

  • Definitions: Group, Stereotype, Prejudice & Discrimination

  • Social categorization process

  • Differentiating ingroups & outgroups

• Concepts:

  • Outgroup homogeneity effect

  • Cognitive efficiency regarding stereotypes

  • Contexts when stereotypes are employed

Sexism and Racism

• Definitions of sexism and racism

• Modern racism explained

• Microaggressions and their impact

• Burdens faced by members of stereotyped groups

  • Example: Stereotype threat

  • Cost of concealment

Attitudes

• Definition: Attitude consists of positive, negative, or mixed reactions to people, objects, or ideas, categorized into three components:

  • Affect

  • Cognition

  • Behavior

• Functions:

  • Helpful for quick judgments

  • Harmful by leading to biases

Types of Attitudes

• Implicit Attitudes: Automatic, require little mental effort

• Explicit Attitudes: Deliberate, under conscious control

• Dual Attitudes: Different (implicit vs explicit) attitudes about the same entity

  • Example: Implicit prejudices may differ from socially acceptable explicit attitudes

Measuring Attitudes

• Implicit Association Test (IAT):

  • Developed by Greenwald & Banaji

  • Step 1: Assess explicit attitudes through selected statements

  • Step 2: Evaluate implicit attitudes via speed of word/picture classification; compares attitudes towards groups based on reaction times

• Resource: IAT video for explanation (5 min)

Practical IAT

• Try the IAT online:

  • Project Implicit link for registration and attitude measurement

  • Examples: Young/Old, Black/White, Work/Home roles of women

Group Perception

• Group Definition: Two or more people perceived as related through shared social categories or common fate

• Stereotype: Beliefs associating traits with specific groups

• Prejudice: Emotion-based attitudes towards a group

• Discrimination: Unfair behaviors towards individuals due to group membership

Intergroup Hostility Factors

• Economic perspective: Conflict over resources

• Motivational perspective: Psychological needs driving competition

• Cognitive perspective: Processes involved in group categorization

Minimal Group Paradigm

• Groups formed arbitrarily, revealing:

  • Preference for ingroup members

  • Biased reward distribution favoring ingroups

• Indicates that resource competition alone cannot explain group behavior

Stereotype Formation

• Factors influencing stereotype formation:

  • Group membership

  • Social categorization

  • Efficient cognitive processing

Group Membership

• Ingroup: Group one identifies with

• Outgroup: Group one does not identify with

• Outgroup Homogeneity Effect: Perception that outgroup members are similar, while ingroup members are diverse

Social Categorization

• Categorization based on factors like gender, race, or socioeconomic status

• Saves cognitive resources but may lead to essentialism in biasing perceptions

• Contact Hypothesis: Contact can reduce bias between groups

• Imagined Contact Hypothesis: Imagining interactions can also be effective

Cognitive Efficiency and Stereotypes

• Stereotypes function as mental shortcuts, allowing for quick evaluations that can affect perception and memory

• More reliance on stereotypes under cognitive overload situations

Situational Stereotype Use

• Stereotypes are typically used when:

  • Information is scarce

  • Individuals are busy or stressed

  • Self-esteem is threatened

Prejudice and Discrimination

• Prejudice: Emotion-based attitudes about groups

• Discrimination: Actions taken against individuals because of their group membership

• Focus on sexism and racism as key areas of concern in psychology

Gender and Sexism

• Gender stereotypes are widespread and pervasive

• Early socialization influences perceptions of gender; differences reinforced through toys and media

• Social Role Theory: Social roles can magnify gender differences and reinforce stereotypes

• Disparities in job evaluations and pay reflect persistent biases

Racism

• Racism: Prejudice and discrimination based on race

• Modern racism involves subtle discrimination masked by denial of overt racism

• Key resource: Ibram X. Kendi's explanation of racism versus anti-racism

Microaggressions

• Definitions and examples of microaggressions impacting various group memberships

• Can be both intentional and unintentional, reinforcing negative associations

Stigmatized Groups

• Challenges faced by members of stigmatized groups:

  • Attributional Ambiguity: Uncertainty about whether treatment is personal or group-related

  • Stereotype Threat: Fear of confirming stereotypes impacting performance

  • Cost of Concealment: Stress from hiding group membership leads to mental health issues and cognitive strain