Chapter 6:Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination

Is it easy for people to dislike others?

Blue eyes versus brown eyes:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqp6GnYqIjQ

We have all experienced some form of stereotyping, prejudice or discrimination

Skin color (race/ethnicity) Gender Disabilities Marital status

Perceptions of inequality We think in terms of in-group versus out-group

Those that are like us and those that are not like us We always want to be not on the bottom

We are risk averse (prospect theory). Losses feel worse than gains feel good

Our understanding of society depends on framing of the relative ‘wins’ and ‘losses’ by groups “White people are losing ground” versus “Blacks are gaining”

Perceptions of inequality When message framed as “minority

gains”, no differences between whites and non-whites.

When message framed as ‘White losses”, Whites perceived more progress towards equality than non-Whites.

When messages framed as “White losses and minority gains”, Whites perceived much progress towards equality, whereas non-Whites indicated the least progress.

Whites Non-Whites

4.854.7

5.45

4.64

5.69

4.39

Minority gainsWhite lossesMinority gains and white losses

Prog

ress

tow

ards

equ

alit

y

StereotypingImportant vocabulary:

Stereotypes: Cognitive component Beliefs about what group members are like

Prejudice: Affect component Feelings about certain groups

Discrimination: Behavioral component Differential treatment of people based on group membership

Thought question: Is discrimination always conscious? Is it always done in an exclusionary or hostile way?

Stereotypes include: Traits Physical appearance Abilities Behavior

Can either be positive or negative

Can either be accurate or inaccurate

Ideas about stereotypes can lead to differential access to powerful positions

Glass Ceiling Glass Ceiling: A barrier that prevents a person of a minority group to

advance to top positions. e.g., “Think manager – think male”.

Minority individuals who reach leadership positions Tend to have lower evaluations of work performance Experience more discrimination at work (and for women, sexual harassment).

Violation of expectations

Glass Cliff Glass Cliff: Admittance of minority individuals to a position of power

When crisis occurs Position is precarious There is greater risk of failure

Research has also found that such individuals are more likely to get fired.

Seeing a few instances of successful minority group individuals leads to the belief that less change is needed Tokenism Distorts perceptions that conditions are equal Performance suffers, when people know they were selected for their token

status and not for their skills.

Speaking out against stereotypes and discriminations If as a member of minority group:

Viewed negatively, regardless of whether complaining was justified Viewed positively if taking personal responsibility

How do we judge people from different groups?

Shifting standards Subjective scales Objective scales

We have different standards depending on people’s group membership Use different reference groups to judge

performance “same” rating does not mean “equal”

rating

Stereotypes: Schema, used for organizing, interpreting and recalling information Stereotypes are schemas for groups of people Outgroup homogeneity effect

Not all stereotypes are recognized Single versus married

We may also encounter ‘exceptions to the rule’ Subtyping Protects the stereotype

Stereotypes may change when the relationship between groups change More on this later…

Prejudice: Feelings towards social groups Negative feelings people have towards groups

In the presence of a group member Thinking of a group member

Believing that groups have underlying essences (perhaps biological) Justification for differential treatment

Different types of emotions leads todifferent types of reactions Reducing negative emotions =

reducing discrimination

Three perspective on why prejudice exists:

1. Prejudice happens in response to

Strength of identification with group membership matters (The Rocky example)

When made to think of a joint identity (e.g., Americans), threat and thus prejudice is reduced.

Threat to self-esteem

Derogation and sabotage

of target group

Maintenance of group position and self-esteem restored

2. Competition for resources Zero-sum outcomes Realistic conflict theory – Robber’s Cave

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QGNxRGgBwM

3. Social categorization Us versus Them Social identity theory

We want to feel good about the group we belong to

Not all stereotypes are conscious Implicit associations: links between

group membership and evaluative responses.

Study in which participants were flashed images: Black or White person Gun or no gun

Participants reacted quicker to seeing Black and gun, or White and no gun Black White0

0.51

1.52

2.53

3.54

4.55

No Gun Gun

Reac

tion

time

Discrimination: Prejudice in Action

Modern Racism: Subtle beliefs and feeling Minorities seek more benefits than they deserve Discrimination does not affect minorities

May be measured using tasks that get at implicit associations Bonafide Pipeline:

Quicker responding when seeing ‘White’ and positive words Quicker responding when seeing ‘Black’ and negative words But does it really measure prejudice?

People want to maintain a self-image of being good. Social comparison to extreme cases of prejudiced people (e.g., Ku Klux Klan). Collective guilt Moral disengagement Motivated forgetting

Ways to Reduce Prejudice and Discrimination Social learning theory says we that we pick up attitudes through

significant people in our lives. Must strongly identify with these significant others

5 ways of reducing prejudice1. Contact hypothesis2. Re-categorization3. Guilt4. ‘Just say No’5. Social Influence

Contact Hypothesis Increased contact allows for the recognition of similarities Direct contact as well as indirect (knowing that someone else knows a person

of the other group) lessens prejudice

Re-categorization Shifting the boundaries of ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ Common ingroup identity model

Guilt Collective guilt, even if oneself has not behaved in a prejudiced manner Framing

White advantage versus Black disadvantage Viewing one’s ingroup as the beneficiary may lessen prejudice

‘Just say No’ Training people to break stereotype

associations (e.g., ‘Black’ and ‘negative’).

Can also teach to make external attributions

Social influence When receiving information that others

see the minority group positively, people change their attitudes to be more positive.

When receiving information that others see the minority group negatively, people change their attitudes to be more negative.

Jigsaw Classroom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p1AE3Z3j5I

Questions?