Prejudice, Stereotyping & Discrimination

What is prejudice?

Prejudice is a negative attitude toward socially defined groups.

Prejudice is the affective component (Feelings of dislike, unfavorable evaluation, pity, hate, sadness etc.)

Social defined Groups - A socially defined groups is any group that is distinguishable from others

Implicit and Explicit Prejudice - We can harbor prejudice even without being aware of it

Explicit prejudice involves consciously held attitudes toward a group.

Implicit prejudice involves unconsciously held attitudes toward a group.

IAT - The attributions we make for certain groups can lead to implicit associations of prejudices with these groups

IAT investigates this priming

Why are we prejudiced?

Negative prejudices stem from:

  • Biology - Is it natural?
  • Social learning or modeling
  • Self-esteem and Threats
  • Intergroup competition
  • The way we think – social categorization

What are Stereotypes?

Walter Lippman first used this term in 1922

Stereotypes are generalized beliefs about members of a socially defined group

Stereotypes are the cognitive component

Also can be explicit or implicit

Stereotypes-Can be positive or negative beliefs

Type of schemas

Often inaccurate, Oversimplified, Overgeneralized, Often resistant to new information

What is Discrimination?Overt negative behaviors or actions toward members of socially defined groups

Less Extreme examples of Discrimination

In car dealerships, white ♂ offered better deals than: white ♀ (+ $109), black ♀ (+ $318), and black ♂ (+ $935) (Ayres & Siegelman, 1995)

Minority youth receive harsher and longer punishments for identical crimes than white youth

Overweight ♀ receive less financial help for college from parents than thinner ♀ (Crandall, 1995)

Some goals of stereotyping, prejudice & discrimination

  • Gaining material benefits for one’s group
  • Managing self-image
  • Gaining social approval
  • Seeking mental efficiency

Cognitive schema are organized knowledge we hold, consciously or unconsciously about different topics and kinds of people

Explicit Stereotypes

Implicit Stereotyping - Unconscious or automatic operation of stereotyping (Greenwald and Banaji)

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Reducing prejudice

The contact hypothesis asserts that interaction with members of a disliked group gives rise to liking, and respect or at least a reduction in dislike or prejudice toward out-group members (Williams (1947)

Gordon Allport (1954)“The Nature of Prejudice”

Intergroup contact hypothesis goals

  • The reduction of racial prejudice
  • An increase in the self-esteem of blacks
  • Increase in the academic achievement of blacks

When does contact reduces prejudice??

  • Equal status contact
  • In pursuit of common goals or mutual interdependent goals
  • Contact is sanctioned by institutional supports and social norms
  • Pleasant and informal close contact with multiple members of the out-group
  • Multiple contacts

The RobbersCave studies Muzafer & Carolyn Sherif
3 separate studies 1949, 1953, 1954

Approx. 3 weeks each,Different locations

Timeline

Week 1: In-group formation

Camping out in the woods, cooking meals, etc.

Week 2: intergroup conflict - the researchers pitted the two group against each other in a series of athletic and camping competitions

Hypothesis - In the course of such competitive interaction toward a goal available to only one group, unfavorable attitudes and images (stereotypes) of the out-group come into use and are standardized, placing the out-group at a definite social distance from the in-group.

In-group/out-group ratings

Ratings of in-groups - very favorable (100%/94%)

Ratings of out-groups -very unfavorable (79%/53%)

Week 3 – reduction of conflict

  • Common enemy
  • Individual activities
  • Adult intervention
  • Superordinate goals (mutual interdependence)

Hostile attitudes & behavior continued

Hypothesis - Contact between groups on an equal status in activities that, in themselves, are pleasant for members of both groups, but that involve no interdependence among them, will not decrease an existing state of intergroup conflict.

Superordinate goals - Goals that have a compelling appeal for members of each group but that neither can achieve without participation of the other

Aftermath

  • Reduction in negative out-group stereotypes
  • Increase in out-group friendships

Realistic conflict theoryCampbell (1965) - Limited resources lead to conflict between groups, which results in increased prejudice and discrimination.

Extended contact hypothesis -The extended contact hypothesis proposes that knowledge that an in-group member has a close relationship with an out-group member can lead to more positive intergroup attitudes (Wright et. al, 1997)