Prejudice

1. Prejudice

2. Recall: • In-Group • Social group to which a person belongs (“us”) • We care about others’ welfare, cooperate with • Out-Group • Social group to which a person does not belong (“them”) • We don’t care about group members’ welfare

3. Prejudice • Positive or negative attitude towards individuals based on their membership in a particular social group • Prejudgment

4. Prejudice is an Attitude • Affect • Emotions

5. Prejudice is an Attitude • Affect • Behavioral Tendencies • Inclination to act according to prejudice • Discrimination: Positive or negative behavior directed toward the persons or groups who are targets of prejudice

6. Institutional Discrimination • Systematic discrimination against a group of people (includes racism, sexism) • Not necessarily the result of prejudice!

7. Institutional Discrimination • Children of alumni receive preference for admission into some private colleges. • Employees of a particular university are allowed free tuition, as are their spouses. • A corporation decides to fill an opening "in-house" rather than advertise. • A public hearing is held on the third floor of building without elevators. • A fire department requires that applicants for the position of firefighter be 5'8" or taller.

8. Prejudice is an Attitude • Affect • Behavioral Tendencies • Cognition • Thoughts and beliefs • Stereotypes: A cognitive framework that generalizes certain characteristics to all members of a specific social group

9. Stereotypes • Often work as mental shortcuts • Implicit stereotyping can ‘prime’ relevant behavior and attitudes • Media stereotypes: Cumulative effect over time • Stereotype threat: • Anxiety that behavior might confirm a negative stereotype; hampers performance

10. Racial Prejudice • Overt racial prejudice and discrimination are have declined significantly in the last 60 years • Subtle prejudice: Non-obvious, arises when it’s ‘safe’ to express

11. White man Black man Black man White man Racial Prejudice • Study: Applying stereotyping and prejudice to an ambiguous behavior • Participants observe a videotape of a man lightly shoving another man during conversation 13% 73%

12. Gender Prejudice • Stereotypes of men and women • Overt gender bias has been declining • Subtle gender bias still exists

13. Where does prejudice come from? • Social Sources • Emotional Sources • Cognitive Sources

14. Social Sources of Prejudice • Social inequalities • Self-fulfilling prophecy • Study 1: • Do Whites treat African Americans and Whites differently? • Participants interviewed a confederate for a job Confederate: African American or White

15. Social Sources of Prejudice • Social inequalities • Self-fulfilling prophecy • Results: Study 1 • Interview length: AA < W • Distance: AA > W • Eye contact: AA < W • Speech dysfluencies: AA > W

16. Social Sources of Prejudice • Social inequalities • Self-fulfilling prophecy • Study 2 • Does differential treatment influence behavior? • Confederates interviewed participant for job • Treated participant like African Americans or Whites were treated in Study 1

17. Social Sources of Prejudice • Social inequalities • Self-fulfilling prophecy • Results Study 2: • Participants treated like African Americans performed worse than participants treated like Whites

18. Social Sources of Prejudice • Social inequalities • In-Group Bias • Viewing our in-group positively helps us feel good about ourselves • Natural tendency to view out-group negatively

19. Social Sources of Prejudice • Social inequalities • In-Group Bias • Institutional Supports • Reflect a culture’s assumptions • Reinforce culture’s attitudes and stereotypes

20. Emotional Sources of Prejudice • Realistic Group Conflict Theory • Frustration brings out hostility • When cause of frustration is vague, hostility can be redirected • Competing for resources brings out frustration and hostility • Scapegoating: Group blamed for problems

21. Emotional Sources of Prejudice

22. Emotional Sources of Prejudice • Realistic Group Conflict Theory • Authoritarian Personality Theory • Authoritarian submission • A high degree of submission to authorities who are perceived to be established and legitimate • Authoritarian aggression • A general aggressiveness, directed against various persons, that is perceived to be sanctioned by established authorities. • Conventionalism • A high degree of adherence to the social conventions that are perceived to be endorsed by society and its established authorities.

23. Cognitive Sources of Prejudice • Categorization • In-Groups and Out-Groups • The Minimal Group Paradigm • Out-Group Homogeneity Effect • Members of an out-group perceived as similar

24. Cognitive Sources of Prejudice • Categorization • Distinctiveness • Distinctive occurrences, vivid examples are easily remembered

25. Cognitive Sources of Prejudice • Categorization • Distinctiveness • Attribution • Fundamental Attribution Error and Group-Serving Bias • Just-World Phenomenon

26. Can prejudice be reduced? • Contact Hypothesis • What kind of intergroup contact would increase prejudice? Decrease prejudice? • Cooperative contact • Jigsaw classroom • Formal education • Selective perception • Diversity training