Prejudice

Prejudice

Types of Prejudice

Components of Prejudice

Stereotypes: Cognitive Component

Defining Stereotype
A generalization about a group of people in which identical characteristics are assigned to virtually all members of the group, regardless of actual variation among the members
Can be either positive, negative or neutral
A type of cognitive shortcut- heuristic
Stereotypes are/do not necessarily
Emotional
Lead to discrimination* Falsely founded

Example of a Stereotype

Gender Stereotype
Women are seen as more nurturing and less assertive than men
Evolutionary psychologists argue that the difference is due to a basis in the behaviors required for reproductive success

Discrimination: Behavioral Component

Defining Discrimination
An unjustified negative or harmful action towards a member of a group, simply because of his or her membership in that group

Inducing Prejudice – Real World Experiment

School teacher Jane Elliott
Divided her class according to eye color
Blue and brown
Those children with blue eyes were given preferential treatment and told they were superior to the brown eyed children
Results (less than 30 minutes later)
Blue- eyed children
Began taunting and criticizing the brown-eyed children
Brown-eyed children
Lowered self-esteem and lower academic performance that day

Explaining Prejudice

Prejudice: Cognitive Explanation

Categorization, Schemas and Heuristics

How they work
Processes that extract information from our environment
Information is then used to create categories* Once categories are formed, this information is used to put things (people, events, objects) into aforementioned categories
These processes allow Social Categorization

Social Categorization

Social categorization follows those same steps with individuals* However, due to the complexity of an individual it is difficult to create categories that both separate individuals and do not overlap
e. person doesn’t belong to more than one category, categories are distinct from one another
Result
In-group bias and out-group homogeneity bias

In-Group Bias

defined as being part of our in-group

Negative feelings and unfair treatment we reserve for others simply because we have defined them as being in the out-groups (groups which an individual does not identify with)
May be due to self-esteem maintenance (Tajfel)

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

Defining Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
The perception that those in the out-group are more similar (homogenous) to each other than they really are
Example
Cross race effects in eye witness identification
Numerous studies have found significantly more false identifications when the “witness” is identifying someone of a differing race.

Prejudice: Cognitive Explanation

Faulty Memory Processes/Problems Processing Information

Two main reasons prejudices persist
It is primarily the emotional aspect of attitudes that makes a prejudiced person hard to argue with (i.e. illogical)
Firmly established schema for the target group(s)
leads them to pay attention to (and therefore recall)
information consistent with their beliefs
leads you to ignore (and therefore forget)
information inconsistent with their beliefs

Explaining Prejudice

Two explanations

Prejudice: Realistic Conflict Theory

Realistic conflict theory
limited resources theory lead to conflict between groups and result in increased prejudice and discrimination
several historical studies document that discrimination against out-groups correlates with the scarcity of jobs or other resources

Realistic Conflict Theory: Sheriff et. al (1961)

Robber’s Cave” experiment
Methods
created two groups of 12 year old boys at a summer camp
eagles and rattlers
Three phases
groups were isolated and placed in situations designed to increase group cohesiveness
groups were brought together to participate in a series competitive activities
hostilities escalated
researchers tried to eliminate hostility by eliminating the games and increasing between-group contact
unsuccessful

Ways to Reduce Prejudice

Contact Hypothesis
merely bringing members of different groups into contact with each other will erode prejudice
somewhat unsuccessful
e. desegregation

Ways to Reduce Prejudice: Contact Hypothesis

Allport (1954) six required conditions
Mutual interdependence
situations where two or more groups need each other and must depend on each other in order to accomplish a goal
A common goal that is important to both of them
Equal status of group members
Having informal interpersonal contact
Multiple contacts with several members of the out-group so that individuals can learn that their beliefs are wrong
Social norms in place that promote equality