Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination
Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination Outline: Definitions Stereotypes o Stereotype formation o Maintenance of Stereotypes Prejudice Discrimination o Sexism o Racism
The Players: Group: two or more persons perceived as related because of (one or more of these): 1. Interactions with each other over time 2. Membership in the same social category or 3. Common fate o E.g. asylum seekers, natural disasters Discrimination: (behaviour) negative behaviour directed against persons because of their membership in a particular group Discrimination is caused by and reinforces: Stereotype: (cognition) a belief that associates a group of people with certain traits Prejudice: (affective) negative feelings toward people based on their membership in certain groups Discrimination Stereotypes
Prejudice
Stereotype Formation: Culture and Cognition: Culture: affect how and when we will categorize people Social categorization: the classification of persons into groups on the basis of common attributes Can be primed Can be contextual In-groups vs. Out-groups: Groups you do vs. groups you don’t identify with In-groups: groups which an individual feels a sense of belonging, membership or identity Out-groups: groups with which an individual foes not feel a sense of belonging, membership or identity
Consequence: Outgroup homogeneity effect: greater similarity amongst members of out-groups than amongst members of one’s own group
Stereotype Maintenance: How stereotypes distort perceptions and resist change Illusory Correlations: overestimate the association between variables that slightly or not at all correlated Two processes: 1. Overestimate the association between distinctive variables 2. Overestimate the association between variables that they expect to go together Attributions: Fundamental attribution error (tendency to associate people’s behaviour to the individual rather than the situation) can perpetuate stereotypes Interpret stereotype consistent information as a result of internal causes (personal) Interpret stereotype inconsistent information as a result of external causes (situation) Subtyping: people will often create subgroups of the larger group to explain individuals which are discrepant with the stereotype Don’t fit a stereotype but want to find a way to keep them in that stereotype o E.g. Barack Obama doesn’t fit the typical ‘black’ stereotype Confirmation Biases: People often process information in a manner that will confirm our expectations o Especially when behaviour is ambiguous People seek information that will confirm the stereotypes Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Our stereotypes can cause us to treat others in ways that encourage them to behave in a stereotypical manner You belong to this group therefore you have these characteristics, therefore I am going to treat you this way, therefore you will behave this way because I am treating you this way
The Players: Group: two or more persons perceived as related because of (one or more of these): 1. Interactions with each other over time 2. Membership in the same social category or 3. Common fate o E.g. asylum seekers, natural disasters Discrimination: (behaviour) negative behaviour directed against persons because of their membership in a particular group Discrimination is caused by and reinforces: Stereotype: (cognition) a belief that associates a group of people with certain traits Prejudice: (affective) negative feelings toward people based on their membership in certain groups Discrimination Stereotypes
Prejudice
Stereotype Formation: Culture and Cognition: Culture: affect how and when we will categorize people Social categorization: the classification of persons into groups on the basis of common attributes Can be primed Can be contextual In-groups vs. Out-groups: Groups you do vs. groups you don’t identify with In-groups: groups which an individual feels a sense of belonging, membership or identity Out-groups: groups with which an individual foes not feel a sense of belonging, membership or identity
Consequence: Outgroup homogeneity effect: greater similarity amongst members of out-groups than amongst members of one’s own group
Stereotype Maintenance: How stereotypes distort perceptions and resist change Illusory Correlations: overestimate the association between variables that slightly or not at all correlated Two processes: 1. Overestimate the association between distinctive variables 2. Overestimate the association between variables that they expect to go together Attributions: Fundamental attribution error (tendency to associate people’s behaviour to the individual rather than the situation) can perpetuate stereotypes Interpret stereotype consistent information as a result of internal causes (personal) Interpret stereotype inconsistent information as a result of external causes (situation) Subtyping: people will often create subgroups of the larger group to explain individuals which are discrepant with the stereotype Don’t fit a stereotype but want to find a way to keep them in that stereotype o E.g. Barack Obama doesn’t fit the typical ‘black’ stereotype Confirmation Biases: People often process information in a manner that will confirm our expectations o Especially when behaviour is ambiguous People seek information that will confirm the stereotypes Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Our stereotypes can cause us to treat others in ways that encourage them to behave in a stereotypical manner You belong to this group therefore you have these characteristics, therefore I am going to treat you this way, therefore you will behave this way because I am treating you this way
