AP Psychology Module 77 - Prejudice and Discrimination

Contact Theory

idea that prejudice can be reduced by increasing contact with those that are different

Scapegoat Theory

the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

Implicit Stereotypes

unconscious mental associations guiding our judgments and actions without our conscious awareness

Discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Victimization (cause of prejudice)

victims of prejudice try to gain a sense of power and pride by putting down another group that is even worse off than them

Ingroup

"Us"— people with whom we share a common identity

Outgroup

"them" - those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

Prejudice is a three part mixture of...

-beliefs (stereotypes) -emotions -predispositions to action (to discriminate)

Three Components of Prejudice

1) Cognitive —> stereotypes 2) Affective—> negative feelings 3) Behavioral—> discrimination

Eliot Aronson's (Jigsaw Classroom)

Students work together in mixed-race or mixed-sex groups in which each member of the group is an expert on one aspect of the assignment and then return to their own groups and teach the material to their team members

Stereotype

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

Prejudice

an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members; generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

Sherif's Robbers Cave Study

at a boys summer camp, he split the boys into two groups: add a name to their group, splitting them up created hostility but using the allport contact theory, working on same goal = reduces hostility

Race-Influenced Perceptions

automatic racial bias

Ethnocentrism

belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group

Reflexive Bodily Responses

even people who consciously express little prejudice may give off telltale signals as their body responds selectively to another's race

Implicit Racial Associations

even people who deny racial prejudice may carry negative associations

Unconscious Patronization

lower expectations, inflated praise and insufficient criticism for minority student achievement

Exaggerating Differences (cause of prejudice)

people exaggerate how different others are from themselves

Justifying Economic Status (cause of prejudice)

people of higher socioeconomic status tend to justify it by assuming those of lower socioeconomic are inferior to them

Jane Elliott Experiment

pseudo-scientific experiment with her third grade class on stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination. The "Eye Color" exercise was controversial, yet important for issues such as cultural diversity training.

Superordinate Goals

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

System Justification

the human tendency to approve the way things are

Blame-the-Victim Dynamic

the tendency for people to believe that the victim of a crime is partially responsible for that crime

Just-World Phenomenon

the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get

Hindsight Bias

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it

Ingroup Bias

the tendency to favor our own group

Other-Race Effect/ Cross-Race Effect/ Own-Race Bias

the tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races

Social Identities

we associate ourselves with certain groups and contrast ourselves with others

Private Stereotypes

what we consciously think about a group, but don't say to others

Public Stereotypes

what we say to others about a group