ATTITUDES: Attitudes Towards People - Stereotyping

Question 1

Define: stereotyping

Answer 1

(The process of grouping people into a category based on what we know about them, based on the groups they belong to)
The process of making assumptions about people belonging to a certain group, regardless of individual differences

Question 2

Define: stereotype

Answer 2

A collection of beliefs about the people belonging to a certain group, regardless of individual differences

Question 3

2 reasons why stereotypes can be good?

Answer 3

Helps guide our interactions with others

Helps us respond to new people when no other info is given

Question 4

3 reasons why stereotyping can be bad?

Answer 4

Inaccurate: based on little empirical evidence
Individual differences ignored: tend to disregard info that doesn’t fit the stereotype and vice versa
Causes stigma

Question 5

Define: stigma

Answer 5

A negative label associated with disapproval or rejection by others who are not labelled in that way

Question 6

Outline the Darley and Gross experiment (1983)

Answer 6

Half of teachers shown a girl living in a “cheap looking” house, the other half shown a girl living in an expensive house
Both groups shown a video of the girl doing a test; she looked both bored and attentive at different times. Asked to predict performance
Teachers shown poor girl predicted poor performance, only remembering segments where they seemed bored. Vice versa

Question 7

Define: primary effect

Answer 7

When the first impressions we form of a person are more influential than any other information we later obtain (eg. Job interview)