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