Stereotyping

Stereotypes

-Generalizations based on categorizations -Sometimes when we do that, we tend to stereotype people ORIGINS OF STEREOTYPES >Attributions >Schemas (describes a pattern of thought or behavior that organizes categories of information and the relationships among them) >Illusory correlations (the phenomenon of perceiving a relationship between variables (typically people, events, or behaviors) even when no such relationship exists.; think there is correlation when there isn't; overestimation of the co-occurrence of two minority events) >Selective attention (the process of focusing on a particular object in the environment for a certain period of time)

Stereotype threat (according to Steele and Arronson (1995)

-Stereotype threat: the existence of such a stereotype means that anything one does or any of one's features that conform to it make the stereotype more plausible as a self-characterization in the eyes of others, and perhaps even in one's own eyes Ex (racial): Intellectual test performance ex: Whenever African American students perform an explicitly scholastic or intellectual task, they face the threat of confirming or being judged by a negative societal stereotype- a suspicion- about their group's intellectual ability and competence >athletic ability v. strategic planning (golf course) ex: (gender): consider the stereotypes elicited by the terms "yuppie, feminist, liberal, or white male"

What are some of the cognitive processes underlying stereotypes?

> Psychologically, it's easy to categorize people, so that we have an understanding of who they are before we actually meet them > Our brain's attempt to understand another person >The internal dialogue of victims of ST goes something like: "Oh no! I thought I was bright in this area, but now I am performing well. I wonder if the stereotypes are true. Could it be that I have hit the limits of my abilities? Is my failure in this area only confirming the negative stereotype that people have about me and people like me?" ^^ adds a greater amount of stress which interferes with their abilities to perform >Internal dialogue of those not threatened by negative stereotype: "Gosh that test was hard!"- not as complex

How can we counter the negative effects of stereotype threat?

> Reduce the fear of falling into stereotype > Increase representation and proximity so that stereotyping becomes less necessary

Availability heuristic

>A mental shortcut whereby the importance, frequency, or credence of something is exaggerated because it comes to mind easily

Ex of stereotype threat from Steele and Aronson (1995)

>Freshman African American students who were extremely accomplished in English, measured by SAT and GRE subject English test. >4 years beyond education level but they did not know that >African Americans performed just as well as White when both groups were led to believe the test was simply a very difficult test because they previously proven how accomplished they were >However, when students were led to believe that the test would measure differences between Blacks and Whites, African American student performance went down

What are the significant outcomes associated with stereotype threat?

>Lower performance rates by those facing stereotype threat typically 1. Poorer performance 2. Career change 3. Self-handicapping 4. Reduced identification with group

Steele

>Steele states that stereotype threat occurs under specific circumstances >1. an individual has to excel in an area that is contrary to the stereotype >2. stereotype has to be negative >3. The area in which the individual excels has to be important to him or her >4. The test of the individual's skill must be challenging >none of us is immune from negative stereotypes

What is fundamental attribution error?

>We tend to attribute one's behavior and make it to who they are rather than the situation Tendency to explain someone's behavior based on internal factors, such as personality or disposition, and to underestimate the influence that external factors, such as situational influences, have on another person's behavior. overestimate internal and underestimate external causes of behavior

Cognitive dissonance theory

>When two cognitions are in conflict a person will be motivated to change one of them to reduce the unsettled feelings caused by the discrepancy ex: internal thought process: "I am a good person, but I behaved badly to that one person. That person must have deserved such bad treatment" ^This reduces the dissonance and leaves us feeling justified for the negative behavior

ST example of not

Ex: Teacher writing exam so doesn't trigger stereotype 1. be very clear w/ instructions 2. Ask demographic Questions after

Stereotype threat (def from book)

The threat that individuals belong to a group that is negatively stereotyped will in fact confirm that stereotype when confronted with a difficult task that purports to measure differences in abilities