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


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


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


SchemataCohen, 1981

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Consistent Inconsistent

Information

Perc

enta

ge R

ecall

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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


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


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!"


Negative Stereotypes

Igbo Nigerians Non-Igbo Nigerians

419-er 55%

505%

Not 419-er 9595%

95095%


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



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



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



Out-Group Homogeneity Bias Rarely notice differences among out-

groups because have little personal contact

Rarely encounter a representative sample of out-group members



Vicious Circle (Myrdal, 1994) Prejudice demands minorities to be

separate Being separate strengthens out-group

stereotypes Groups become more separate


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


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


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


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


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


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



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



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


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


Impact of Stereotype Threat on Test Performance

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Stereotype Threat No Stereotype Threat

Aver

age I

tem

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rect

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African AmericanWhite


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?


stereotypes and prejudice dr. k. a. korb university of jos

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