wow

Stereotypes, Prejudice, & Discrimination (Chapter 11)

We end our second section of class with the classic topics of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Do keep in mind that social psychologists differentiate these three concepts for ease of studying but they certainly do overlap and have complex relationships to each other:

· Prejudice = affective component = unjustifiable negative emotions/feelings toward members of a social group

· Stereotype = cognitive component = sweeping or generalized cognitive/thinking/beliefs of members of social groups (can be positive but we mainly consider negative)

· Discrimination = behavioral component = unjustified negative behaviors/actions directed at members of some social group

ABCs (prejudice could be positive like the “halo effect” but for now, consider it as being negative since that is most often how the term is used)

Social Categorization & Stereotyping (know some basics and some research findings)

· Spontaneous

· Benefits

· Negative outcomes

· Out-group homogeneity

· Why are stereotypes so hard to change?

· Implicit/indirect measures

· Self-fulfilling prophecies? Stereotype threat?

In-group favoritism & Prejudice (again, know basics and some research findings)

· Tajfel brief research, “us” and “them” & ingroup favoritism

· What is the ultimate attribution error?

· Causes (briefly)

· When does it not occur (briefly – what is the black sheep effect?)

· Personality (authoritarianism, SDO) & Culture

Reducing Discrimination (know some basic findings and research findings)

· Change cognitive aspects (such as thinking of non-stereotypical characteristics or positive models)

· Change social norms

· Intergroup contact/contact hypothesis (interdependence; jigsaw classroom; what does extended-contact suggest?)

· Recategorization (Sherif and colleagues “Robbers’ Cave Experiment” – superordinate goals and common ingroup identity)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As with all the chapters in class, it is loaded with such interesting information but there is no way we can do anything other than scratch the surface in an undergraduate Social Psychology class. If you continue on through graduate school, you will have an entire class or two just on these topics.

By the way, you’ll be happy to know that this ends the chapters we will be covering for exams. The last two chapters we cover on helping and aggression will appear in the last discussion but won’t appear on an exam.

I wish you all the best in studying for Exam 2. Make sure to clarify questions with me ahead of time. I am always right here!