attitudes & stereotypes - stereotypes

Question 1

social categorisation

Answer 1

process of identifying a person as a member of a certain group because of features they share. they help us to deal with the social world. categorised based on overt physical attributes of the person (gender, skin colour, hair colour), subtle attributes (accents, dress) and additional physical cues (tools of trade, uniform)

Question 2

prototype

Answer 2

represents social categories and groups. a rough set of attributes (perceptions, beliefs attitudes, feelings behaviours) that describe one group and distinguishes it from relevant other groups. not an ‘average type’ of the social group, so ideal that no single person could embody it

Question 3

metacontrast principle

Answer 3

the prototype of the group minimises the differences within the intra group. this leads the people to think that the group seems like a coherent, distinct and unitary entity

Question 4

depersonalisation

Answer 4

the perception and treatment of self and others not as unique individuals but as prototypical embodiments of a social group

Question 5

stereotypes

Answer 5

in 1922, lippmenn introduced the term stereotype as ‘picture in the head’; a simplified mental image of what groups look like and what they do. stereotypes are a set of cognitive generalisations (beliefs, expectations) about the qualities and characterisations of the members of a group or social category, a form of social categorisation. similar to schemas but more exaggeration and resistant to accommodations

Question 6

function of stereotypes - cognitive

Answer 6

simplifying the world by making it easier to understand, reduces thinking time and makes quicker decisions

Question 7

function of stereotypes - social

Answer 7

using them to positively compare your in group to an outgroup, and justify how your ingroup behaves towards the outgroup

Question 8

causes of stereotypes - personal experience

Answer 8

positive or negative impressions of individual group members form an important part of people’s overall impressions of a group, even when people have interacted with only one or two members

Question 9

causes of stereotypes - people notice some people in a group more than others

Answer 9

our attention is drawn to what is unusual, unexplained or salient. the formed impressions of groups remain unchanged when encountering other group members whose appearance or actions are quite ordinary. therefore, distinct individual group members have a disproportionate impact on the formation of group stereotypes

Question 10

causes of stereotypes - between group interactions generate emotion

Answer 10

people feel uncertain and concerned when interacting with novel groups, which influences stereotypes. the emotions are provoked by uncomfortable group encounters, and are transferred to the group itself when an interaction with a group is frequently accompanied by most specific emotions

Question 11

causes of stereotypes - learning stereotypes from the media

Answer 11

our experience with members of other groups also comes indirectly from the media, in which biased messages are sent by stereotyping and underrepresenting particular group. commercials, cartoons and other media reinforce gender stereotypes. this increases observed acceptance of gender stereotypes

Question 12

causes of stereotypes - learning stereotypes from others

Answer 12

stereotypes and prejudice can be picked up by children through observing and imitating parents’ and teachers’ words and deeds, which reflect social norms. when stereotypes and prejudice are deeply embedded in social norms, children learn them as part of growing up

Question 13

causes of stereotypes - social communication of stereotypes

Answer 13

impressions formed by second-hand information (being told by others) are more stereotypic than impressions formed by first-hand information (observing the group yourself) and remain stereotypic after direct experiences with the group