Chapter 13: Prejudice

Jigsaw Classroom

A classroom setting designed to reduce prejudice and raise the self-esteem of children by placing them in small, multiethnic groups and making each child dependent on the other children in the group to learn the course material

Stereotype

A generalization about a group of people in which certain traits are assigned to virtually all members of the group, regardless of actual variation among the members

Prejudice

A hostile or negative attitude toward people in a distinguishable group based solely on their membership in that group; it contains cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

A test thought to measure unconscious (implicit) prejudices according to the speed with which people can pair a target face (e.g., Black or White, old or young, Asian or White) with a positive or negative association (e.g., the words honest or evil)

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

An expectation of one's own or another person's behavior that comes true because of the tendency of the person holding it to act in ways that bring it about.

Institutional Discrimination

Practices that discriminate, legally or illegally, against a minority group by virtue of its ethnicity, gender, culture, age, sexual orientation, or other target of societal or company prejudice

Stereotype Threat

The apprehension experienced by members of a group that their behavior might confirm a cultural stereotype

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own ethnic group, nation, or religion is superior to all others

Realistic Conflict Theory

The idea that limited resources lead to conflict between groups and result in increased prejudice and discrimination

Social Identity

The part of a person's self- concept that is based on his or her identification with a nation, religious or political group, occupation, or other social affiliation

Out-Group Homogeneity

The perception that individuals in the out-group are more similar to each other (homogeneous) than they really are, as well as more similar than members of the in-group are

Interdependence

The situation that exists when two or more groups need to depend on one another to accomplish a goal that is important to each of them

Blaming the Victim

The tendency to blame individuals (make dispositional attributions) for their victimization, typically motivated by a desire to see the world as a fair place

In-Group Bias

The tendency to favor members of one's own group and give them special preference over people who belong to other groups; the group can be temporary and trivial as well as significant

Normative Conformity

The tendency to go along with the group in order to fulfill the group's expectations and gain acceptance

Discrimination

Unjustified negative or harmful action toward a member of a group solely because of his or her membership in that group

You have seen a few people with nose rings, and few car accidents in your life. You happen to observe several car accidents involving people with nose rings, and come to the conclusion that people with nose rings drive badly. You have just created a(n) a. illusory correlation b. plausible judgment c. incidental inference d. artifactual connection

a. illusory correlation

When prejudiced people say, "They all look alike to me," they are illustrating the a. out-group homogeneity bias b. in-group bias c. illusory correlation d. ultimate attribution

a. out-group homogeneity bias

Jamal and Tina just earned the top two scores on their calculus examination. In response to this good news, Tina is likely to say __________ whereas Jamal is likely to say ________ a. "Women are just as good at math as men are" ; "I guess that studying hard pays off b. "Well, I did study for ten hours" ; "Some people have it and some people dont" c. "I really learned the material well" ; "Man, I really got lucky this time" d. "Its 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration" ; "I should have studied this way all along"

b. "Well, I did study for ten hours" ; "Some people have it and some people dont"

Which of the following best exemplifies the concept "prejudice" as used by social psychologists? a. at parties, Lynne tends to seek out people who, like her, are psychology majors b. Kevin feels mistrustful of and uncomfortable around people from the Middle East c. Maria seldom hangs out with people who are not Catholic d. Barbara believes that women are smarter than man

b. Kevin feels mistrustful of and uncomfortable around people from the Middle East

Patricia Devine (1989) argues that even though we all hold _____ stereotypes, _____ can influence whether we believe and act on the, a. negative; experience b. automatically activated; conscious processing c. simple; complex contradictory information d. gender; interacting with others

b. automatically activated; conscious processing

Stereotypes are beneficial to the extent that they a. are selectively applied b. simplify a complex social world c. are reserved for ambiguous situations d. minimize differences within a group of people

b. simplify a complex social world

As the only African American in his class, LaMonte rends to worry about committing errors because he does not want his white counterpart to think that all African Americans are intellectually inferior. LaMonte is experiencing a. class anxiety b. stereotype threat c. group hostility d. attribution error

b. stereotype threat

The definition of ________ is "unjustified negative or harmful action toward a member of a group simply because of his or her membership in that group" a. affirmative action b. prejudice c. discrimination d. racism

c. discrimination

An in-group is a group with which individuals a. cooperate b. communicate c. identify d. affiliate

c. identify

According to the authors, one nearly inevitable consequence of being the target of relentless prejudice is a. genocide b. discrimination c. lower self-esteem d. rebellion

c. lower self-esteem