Sterotyping

Sterotyping & Prejudice

Working Definitions

nStereotype

nA belief about the personal attributes of a group of people.

nPrejudice

nAn unjustifiable attitude toward a group and its individual members

nDiscrimination

nUnjustifiable behaviour toward a group or its members

Categorisation and Distortion are the Foundations of Stereotyping

Why do we categorise?

nItâs natural; even infants do it

nIt is generally adaptive and helpful

nIt gives us a sense of control over our environment

Gestalt Categorisation Principles

nAccording to Gestalt Principles, what do we group?

nThings that look similar

nThings that share a common boundary

nThings that are in close proximity

nWe assume that things we group together share more in common with each other than they do with other things that arenât in that group.

Examples of Grouping

|||| |||| |||| |||| |||| proximity

xxxoooxxxoooxxxoooxxxooo similarity

common boundary

How Does this Apply to Grouping People?

nWe group people who:

nlook like each other

nã10-ft (3-m) ruleä: We group according to things that look similar from a distance: race, sex, height, weight, age

nshare common boundaries

nlive in same block, area

nhave markers that designate common boundaries, like insignias of clubs and organisations

nwho are in close proximity

nthose who are seen together, standing together, etc.

Distortion Maintains Our Belief in Inaccurate Stereotypes

nWhy do we distort?

nIt preserves our sense of self and makes us feel abour about ourselves

nIt prevents us from becoming depressed

nIt provides us with perseverance in difficult tasks and situations

Gestalt Principles of Distortion

nGood form

nthings that are complete (i.e., need for closure)

nExpectation or set

nwe see what we expect to see (i.e., next slides)

nFigure-ground

nwe attribute causality to that which is ãfigureä (i.e., actor-observer biases)

nAssimilation-contrast

nInitially, we perceive things relatively according to contrast, then absolutely (i.e., Person A seen as relatively rich initially, will be seen as absolutely rich thereafter)

Expectation Distortion: Example 1

BIRD

IN THE

THE HAND

Expectations Distort Perception

BIRD

IN THE

THE HAND

Expectations: Example 2

Count the Fs:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-

SULTS OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF-

IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE

EXPERIENCE OF YEARS

Auditory Expectations Distort Visual Perception!

Count the Fs:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-

SULTS OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF-

IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE

EXPERIENCE OF YEARS

A Related Principle from Developmental Psychology

nPiagetian Principle of Assimilation-Accommodation

nAccommodation: changing oneâs notion of the world to fit new instances of reality

nAssimilation: changing oneâs perception of new instances of reality to fit oneâs preconceived notions of what the world is or should be

Stereotyping lays the Foundation for Prejudice

nPrejudice is simply Îpre judging:â having beliefs and attitudes about a group and assuming individuals in that group are like the prototype. Can be positively or negatively valenced.

nPrejudice is based upon categorisations and distortions that we naturally engage in; not a sign of evil.

nWe all possess the knowledge that fuels prejudice; in order to prevent acting on that knowledge, we must actively inhibit it.

The Power of Prejudice:
Other & Self-fulfilling Prophecies

nSnyder, Tanke, & Berscheid; Snyder & Swann

nWhat we expect of others (based upon stereotypes) influences our perceptions of how these people act

nThese perceptions actually change the behaviour of the target to validate the expectations

How Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Works

nConfirmation Bias

1 5 7 11 13 17 19·??

n We seek to confirm, not disconfirm, our expectations

nSelective Attention

nSelective Recall

nConstriction of Behavioural Options

An Overarching Framework:
The Totalitarian Ego

nGreenwald, 1980, American Psychologist

nThree assumptions of ego (self):

nit is an organisation of knowledge

nis characterised by cognitive biases analogous to totalitarian information-control strategies

nthese biases function to preserve organisation in cognitive structures

Three Ego Biases

nEgocentricity

nEgo as self-focused historian (i.e., we best remember information that is self-relevant and we endeavor to maintain our sense of self. Can be done by maintaining consistency in our beliefs and attitudes toward outgroup members)

nBeneffectance

nPerception of responsibility for desired, but not undesired outcomes (i.e., self-serving biases)

nCognitive Conservatism

nResistance to cognitive change (i.e., we donât want to change our attitudes, stereotypes, etc.; we change the data to fit our pre-existing beliefs; if we do change, we donât think we did).

The Concept of ãModern Racismä

Examples:

Old Fashioned Racism

nHow much would you dislike it if an Aboriginal family with about the same income and education as you moved next door

Modern Racism

nOver the past few years, Aboriginal people have gotten more economically than they deserve

Implicit Attitudes Emerge When Cognitively Busy or Stressed

nDevine et al (1989, 1995)

nThose low and high in prejudice are aware of the same stereotypes and often have similar automatic reactions.

nThey differ because the low-prejudice person consciously tries to suppress prejudicial thoughts and feelings.

Summary

nStereotypes and prejudices are natural bi-products of cognition and motivation.

nOnce formed, they are maintained through principles of grouping and distortion.

nThey function to serve the self: ãtotalitarian ego.ä

nPrejudice can be shown even in people who are explicitly not prejudiced.