Stereotypes and Prejudice Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos.
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Transcript of Stereotypes and Prejudice Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos.
Stereotypes and Prejudice
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Outline
Overview of stereotypes Formation of stereotypes Impact of stereotypes on behavior Decreasing the negative impact of
stereotypes Stereotype Threat
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Stereotype
Stereotype: Widely held beliefs about traits that are characteristic of members of a particular group Schemata Beliefs may be positive or negative
Prejudice: Feeling directed toward group of people or individual person Attitude
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Stereotypes
Schema: Simplified reconstructions of perceptions of classes of people, objects, events, or situations Facilitate effective organization and
processing of large amounts of information Associate new information with pre-existing
schemata then remember most prominent features
Schematic processing occurs rapidly and automatically
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
SchemataCohen, 1981
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
Consistent Inconsistent
Information
Perc
enta
ge R
ecall
.
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Schemata
Other research evidence: Making a hypothesis of blurred picture
reduced ability to identify the picture as came into focus (Wyatt & Campbell, 1951)
Verbal description of face impairs ability to choose face from many (Schooler & Engstler-Schooler, 1990)
Conclusion: Effort at attention disrupts the influence of weak cues that might have guided judgment
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Prejudice
Prejudice can be expressed through: Antilocution: Talking in negative
stereotypes and images Avoidance Discrimination: Behaviors with specific
goal of harming another Prevent from achieving goals, getting
education or job Physical Attack Extermination
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Two blondes went to the pound where each adopted a puppy. The joy of their new best friend was quickly overshadowed when they got home and the first blonde said, "I think we're in trouble, how are we going to tell them apart?"
This lead to several hours of concentration until finally, the second blonde said, "I've got an idea. We'll tie a red bow around my puppy and a blue bow around yours."
The next day the first blonde comes running up to the second when she got home, "Oh no, I can't tell whose puppy is whose. They've pulled the ribbons off while they were playing."
"OK, we need to find a better way to tell them apart," says the second blonde. After several more hours of concentration, they came up with the bright idea of getting different colored collars.
Again, the next day, the first blonde comes running up to the second as soon as she gets home, "Oh no, I can't tell whose puppy is whose. They've pulled their collars off while they were playing."
"There's got to be some way to tell them apart," says the second blonde.
After several more hours of concentration, the first blonde finally comes up with another idea, "I know! Why don't you take the black one and I'll take the white one!"
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Negative Stereotypes
Igbo Nigerians Non-Igbo Nigerians
419-er 55%
505%
Not 419-er 9595%
95095%
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Social Categorization
Social Categorization: Classification of people into groups on the basis of common attributes Use schemata to quickly form impressions
and use past experiences to guide new interactions
Disadvantages Overestimate differences between groups Underestimate differences within groups
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Social Categorization
In-Group: People perceived as similar to ourselves Out-Group: Others who do not fit into the in-group In-Group Bias: Preferential treatment given to people
perceived as a member of one’s group Out-Group Homogeneity Bias: Tendency to assume
that members of groups other than own are all alike Attribution Error: If an out-group member does
something bad, attribute it to characteristics of the out-group If an in-group member behaves similarly, attribute to the
specific person’s characteristics
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Social Categorization
Outgroup-Homogeneity Bias Estimate how many group members share
stereotyped characteristic Estimates higher for out-groups than in-groups
Estimate range of differences within population, Range narrower with out-group individuals
Rate group individuals for how alike they are Out-group members rated as more similar than in-
group
LeastGenerous
MostGenerous
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Social Categorization
Out-Group Homogeneity Bias Rarely notice differences among out-
groups because have little personal contact
Rarely encounter a representative sample of out-group members
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Social Categorization
Vicious Circle (Myrdal, 1994) Prejudice demands minorities to be
separate Being separate strengthens out-group
stereotypes Groups become more separate
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Stereotypes
More likely to form an impression based on stereotypes when: Busy or distracted Pressed for time Mentally tired
Less likely to use stereotypes when alert and motivated to form an accurate impression
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes
Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes: Stereotypes can lead us to interact with people in ways that cause them to fulfill our expectations Stereotypes become self-perpetuating
and self-fulfilling
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Discrimination
Racism: Prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behavior toward people of a given race Institutional practices that subordinate
people of a given race Sexism: Prejudicial attitudes and
discriminatory behavior toward people of a given sex Institutional practices that subordinate
people of a given sex
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Sex Discrimination
Blatant Sex Discrimination: Unequal and harmful treatment of person based on their sex
Subtle Sex Discrimination: Unequal and harmful treatment that is less visible and obvious
Covert sex discrimination: Unequal and harmful treatment that is hidden, purposeful, maliciously motivated
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Strategies for Reducing the Effects of Discrimination Blinding: Denies decision maker information about
potentially biasing information Consciousness Raising: Encourages decision maker to
have heightened awareness of cues that could elicit discrimination Attention reduces weak automatic influences on
judgment Affirmative Action: Attribute leading to discrimination
has positive qualification for decision Previous discrimination in education keeps people from
succeeding May be viewed as compensation for past, present, and
potential future implicit discrimination
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Preventing Stereotypes
Contact Hypothesis: Contact with members of the out-group reduces stereotypes
Four necessary conditions (Allport, 1954) Equal status of participants Pursuing common goals Work cooperatively Authorities sanction contact
Additional Conditions Generates positive affect Opportunity to learn about out-group members
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Preventing Stereotypes
Jigsaw Classroom: Cooperative learning strategy for classroom use Divide classroom into groups of 5 to 6 people
Diverse by gender, ability, and race Developed to promote cooperation between
members of conflicting ethnic groups Research has demonstrated that jigsaw can:
Decrease racial conflict Decrease prejudice and stereotyping
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Preventing Stereotypes
Jigsaw Steps: Appoint a group leader Divide the lesson into one segment for each
member Each member learns their segment of the lesson Students learning the same information meet to
discuss main points and rehearse presentation Students present their segment to their group Quiz the entire class on all components of the
lesson
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Stereotype Threat
Stereotype Threat: Apprehensiveness about confirming a stereotype When minorities are in situation when stereotype
applies, bear emotional and cognitive burden of possibly confirming stereotype
Fear to confirm negative stereotype may induce test anxiety and undermine test performance
Not necessary to believe stereotype, only that person is aware of the stereotype and cares about performing well enough to disprove
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Impact of Stereotype Threat on Test Performance
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Stereotype Threat No Stereotype Threat
Aver
age I
tem
s Cor
rect
.
African AmericanWhite
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Revision
What is a stereotype? What is in-group bias and out-group
homogeneity? How can stereotypes be self-fulfilling? How can prejudice and discrimination be
reduced in education?
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos