PSYC 2600: Chapter 13: Prejudice

What are the three components of prejudice?

1. a cognitive component, involving the beliefs or thoughts (cognitions) that make up the attitude 2. an affective or emotional component, representing both the type of emotion linked with the attitude (e.g., anger, warmth) 3. a behavioral component, relating to one's actions

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 distinguished 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 by 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

realist 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 groups 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

What is suppressed prejudice? a. A person knows he or she is prejudiced but chooses not to express it in public. b. A person reveals a prejudice subtly, by implying a bias rather than saying so outright. c. A person holds a prejudice without being aware of it. d. A person has a tendency to become prejudiced under the right circumstances.

a. A person knows he or she is prejudiced but chooses not to express it in public.

Which of the following measures of unconscious prejudice describes the IAT? a. A person's slower associations between a target image and positive words than with negative words b. A group's ignoring the comments and contributions of its lone minority member c. A person's making subtle slights and put-downs about a target person d. A person's keeping greater distance from a member of a group he or she dislikes

a. A person's slower associations between a target image and positive words than with negative words

Which of the following describes a consequence of in-group bias? a. A tendency to discriminate against members of an out-group b. A self-fulfilling prophecy c. Feelings of inadequacy about our own in-group d. A greater vulnerability to stereotype threat

a. A tendency to discriminate against members of an out-group

What is one of the main reasons that the jigsaw method is effective? a. It breaks down in-group versus out-group perceptions and stereotypes. b. It requires kids to behave in polite and empathic ways. c. It sets clear rules for good behavior. d. It allows kids to express their real feelings toward one another.

a. It breaks down in-group versus out-group perceptions and stereotypes.

Benevolent sexism refers to people who think that women are naturally superior to men in kindness and nurturance. What does international research show is a consequence of this belief? a. It can legitimize discrimination against women and justify relegating them to traditional roles. b. Men envy women for having more positive traits than they have. c. It can cause people to overlook anti-male sexism. d. Women have higher self-esteem than men.

a. It can legitimize discrimination against women and justify relegating them to traditional roles.

Following are some explanations of prejudice that social psychologists investigate. Which one doesn't fit? a. The need for catharsis b. Realistic economic conflicts c. Institutional discrimination d. Pressures to conform

a. The need for catharsis

Which of these ways of thinking can reduce the power of stereotype threat? a. Understanding that people's abilities are pretty fixed, so it's not worth being upset if you don't do well on a test b. Being aware that anxiety about taking tests is normal, especially for members of stereotyped groups c. Accepting the cultural stereotype as one that is likely to be based on actual group differences d. Inflating your confidence in your abilities to counteract others' expectations

b. Being aware that anxiety about taking tests is normal, especially for members of stereotyped groups

How can test takers reduce the effects of stereotype threat on their performance? a. By blaming cultural prejudices in society. b. By reminding themselves of their skills and good qualities. c. By studying harder. d. By denying that stereotypes affect them.

b. By reminding themselves of their skills and good qualities.

Increasing contact between groups will reduce prejudice if all of the following conditions are met except one. Which one? a. Out-group consists of many individuals, not just one taken b. Higher status of the minority group c. Interdependence d. Opportunity for informal contacts

b. Higher status of the minority group

What is one of the main problems with the IAT? a. It is pretty good at identifying racism but not other kinds of prejudice. b. It doesn't have a strong relationship with how people actually behave. c. It is a better test of explicit prejudice than implicit prejudice. d. People can't respond to the pairs of associations rapidly enough.

b. It doesn't have a strong relationship with how people actually behave.

What is the key feature of the jigsaw classroom? a. Minority kids get to work in their own language and preferred place. b. Kids of different ethnicities need each other to solve problems c. Kids of different ethnicities have a chance to show their individual talents. d. Teachers stop calling on individual students.

b. Kids of different ethnicities need each other to solve problems

Noah's teachers don't think that Noah is very smart, so they stop paying attention to him or asking him questions. After a few years, Noah decides there is no point trying to do well in school because he's dumb. He has become a victim of a. implicit prejudice b. a self-fulfilling prophecy c. stereotype threat d. the justification of effort

b. a self-fulfilling prophecy

Because the law has made most forms of discrimination in the United States illegal, the expression of prejudice a. is more likely to be explicit than implicit b. is more likely to be revealed in microaggressions c. is rarely activated when a person is angry or frustrated d. has declined markedly

b. is more likely to be revealed in microaggressions

"Hostile sexists" think women are inferior to men; "benevolent sexists" think women are superior to men. What do they have in common? Both a. share an underlying admiration for women b. legitimize discrimination against women c. reveal a dislike of women d. share an underlying dislike of men

b. legitimize discrimination against women

What is an implicit prejudice? a. A person knows he or she is prejudiced but chooses not to express it in public. b. A person reveals a prejudice subtly, by implying a bias rather than saying so outright. c. A person holds a prejudice without being aware of it. d. A person has a tendency to become prejudiced under the right circumstances.

c. A person holds a prejudice without being aware of it.

When Gordon Allport said "defeated intellectually, prejudice lingers emotionally," what did he mean? a. You can't argue intellectually with a prejudiced person b. A prejudiced person cannot intellectually defend his or her attitude c. A person's explicit prejudices may decline while implicit prejudices remain d. A person's implicit prejudices may decline while explicit prejudices remain

c. A person's explicit prejudices may decline while implicit prejudices remain

What is stereotype threat? a. Feeling threatened by stereotypes we hold about other people. b. Feeling threatened by prejudices we wish we didn't have. c. Feeling threatened by stereotypes that others hold of our group. d. Feeling threatened by people who confirm our stereotypes.

c. Feeling threatened by stereotypes that others hold of our group.

What is the main social psychological mechanism that makes the jigsaw classroom effective? a. It relies on ethnocentrism. b. It measures and overcomes implicit prejudices. c. It requires cooperation in pursuit of shared goals. d. It emphasizes individual achievement to demonstrate minority competence.

c. It requires cooperation in pursuit of shared goals.

Early attempts at desegregation often failed to reduce prejudice between ethnic groups. What is the primary reason the contact hypothesis didn't work? a. The students remained angry with each other. b. Each group felt superior to the other. c. The minority students didn't have equal status, and equality wasn't valued. d. The majority students didn't try to make friends with the minority students.

c. The minority students didn't have equal status, and equality wasn't valued.

Why did early attempts at desegregation fail to reduce prejudice between ethnic groups? a. The minority students didn't try hard enough to make friends. b. The students were given equal status. c. The minority students were usually unprepared to compete academically. d. The majority students shared the same goals as the minority students.

c. The minority students were usually unprepared to compete academically.

When people are attached to a "bogus pipeline" or other technological "lie detectors," how does this affect their willingness to admit their prejudices? a. They are less likely to admit any kind of prejudice. b. They are less likely to reveal sexism but more likely to reveal anti-Semitism. c. They are more likely to admit prejudices that they would otherwise suppress. d. They are more likely to admit unconscious prejudices.

c. They are more likely to admit prejudices that they would otherwise suppress.

Jenny, who is Asian American, is taking a math test. Under which of these conditions is she likely to do best? a. When she's made aware that women don't do as well as men in math. b. When she's made aware that she is not at a top-notch university. c. When she's made aware of her Asian identity. d. Since Jenny is very good at math, none of these conditions will affect her performance.

c. When she's made aware of her Asian identity.

In the social-psychological perspective, what is a primary cause of discrimination against women in the workforce? a. Women are not as biologically suited to leadership as men. b. Women and men are integrated in a given occupation. c. Women are a small minority of a given occupation. d. Women don't want to do the same work that men do.

c. Women are a small minority of a given occupation.

Suppose you're a bartender and you have a stereotype about people with full-arm tattoos: you think they are more likely to get into fights at your bar than people without tattoos. Your perception illustrates which aspect(s) of stereotypes? a. You are paying attention to nonaggressive people with tattoos. b. Your stereotype is accurate. c. You are noticing people who confirm your stereotype and overlooking those who don't. d. You are paying attention to aggressive people without tattoos.

c. You are noticing people who confirm your stereotype and overlooking those who don't.

A stereotype is a. the cognitive form of a prejudice b. always inaccurate c. a cognitive summary that can be positive or negative d. a negative impression of a group of people

c. a cognitive summary that can be positive or negative

A prejudice is a. generally unaffected by societal events b. a feeling held by members of a majority group toward members of a minority group c. a hostile attitude toward members of a group, based solely on their membership in that group d. usually acquired in childhood and lasts a lifetime

c. a hostile attitude toward members of a group, based solely on their membership in that group

According to realistic conflict theory, prejudice and discrimination are likely to increase when a. a country has a history of racism b. people know that their close friends are prejudiced c. people are competing for jobs and security d. people who hold stereotypes about a target group are frustrated

c. people are competing for jobs and security

According to realistic conflict theory, what might be the major reason for the changing levels of prejudice and discrimination by white Americans toward the Chinese, Japanese, Irish, and Mexicans in American history? a. Differences in job training and skills b. Degree of white familiarity with the minorities c. Percentage of minorities enrolled in colleges d. Competition for work and political status

d. Competition for work and political status

What is stereotype threat? a. Some members of a majority group feel threatened by minorities b. Some members of a majority group threaten a minority by stereotyping them c. Some members of a minority group threaten to retaliate against the stereotypes they find unfair d. Some members of a stereotyped group feel anxious when they are made aware of a stereotype about them

d. Some members of a stereotyped group feel anxious when they are made aware of a stereotype about them

What strategy does the Robber's Cave study suggest for reducing hostility between groups? a. Sharing social norms b. Playing fun, competitive games, such as tug-of-war c. Being together in the same environment d. Working together in pursuit of common goals

d. Working together in pursuit of common goals

The IAT might be measuring implicit prejudice, but what other explanations might account for the findings it produces? a. It is capturing cultural stereotypes rather than people's real feelings. b. It reflects actual associations between two traits but not necessarily prejudices. c. It doesn't measure speed of associations quickly enough. d. a and b.

d. a and b.

John knows and likes most of his Latino classmates but privately believes that his Anglo culture is superior to all others. His belief is evidence of his a. stereotyping a minority b. out-group homogeneity c. anti-Latino prejudice d. ethnocentrism

d. ethnocentrism

Findings from social neuroscience suggest that: a. experience plays almost no role in the ability to notice different categories b. people in some cultures are more likely to form stereotypes than other people c. the tendency to form categories and stereotypes is determined largely by experience d. it has been evolutionary beneficial for the brain to be able to rapidly form categories

d. it has been evolutionary beneficial for the brain to be able to rapidly form categories

Rebecca is covering her college's football game against its archrival for the school newspaper. At the game, she interviews six students from her college but decides she needs to interview only one student from the rival school to represent their view of the game. Rebecca is demonstrating a. blaming the victim b. in-group bias c. entitlement d. out-group homogeneity

d. out-group homogeneity

The Robber's Cave study created hostility between two groups of boys by a. allowing them to freely express their feelings of anger b. letting the boys set their own rules and games c. randomly giving one group more privileges d. putting them in competitive situations with prizes for the winners

d. putting them in competitive situations with prizes for the winners

self-affirmation

the practice of reminding yourself--realistically--of your good qualities or experiences that made you feel successful or proud.