PSY 380: Stereotyping and Prejudice II

Guest Lecturer: Mischa Thompson March 23, 2000

Questions from Tuesday:

I. Stereotypes help us organize information and free cognitive resources. Why is it bad to use them?

II. People may have implicit prejudice. So, what?

Why are stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination bad?

1.

2.

3.

A. Differential Treatment:

 

Self-fulfilling prophecy:

 

4 Steps to Self-fulfilling Prophecy:

1. Perceiver has expectations about the target

2. Perceiver treats the target so as to elicit the expected target behavior

3. Target indeed behaves in a way that confirms perceiver's expectations

4. Perceiver sees predicted behavior - Objective perceiver might also see it

 

Word, Zanna, & Cooper (1979)

 

 

 

 

Follow-up:

 

 

B. Without differential treatment

Looking glass self view:

 

 

 

1. Self-hatred

Self-hatred assumes that minorities always make upward comparisons (SCT)

 

Actually, tend to compare selves to similar others

 

2. Stereotype Threat

Definition:

 

person does not have to believe stereotype

There is a desire to disconfirm the stereotype

 

Steele & Aronson (1995)

Black and White Americans given verbal exam

Test Instructions

Diagnostic

Nondiagnostic

Test performance

 

 

 

Why do they differ?

Don't want to confirm stereotype

Stereotypically Black Interests
Non-diagnostic condition:

Blacks and Whites liked basketball

Diagnostic condition

Whites still liked basketball

Blacks disliked basketball

Other reasons:

 

Other Stereotype Threat Studies

Women and Math

Elderly and Memory

SES in France

Asian American Women and Math

 

3. Solo

Definition:

 

Gender: Oral Exam Results (Sekaquaptewa & Thompson, 1999)

 

Race Oral Exam Results: (Sekaquaptewa & Thompson, 1999)

 

Stereotype Threat/Solo Closing Points

 

 

Physiological/Psychological Repercussions of Prejudice/Discrimination

Experiencing discrimination

Not displaying anger

Not admitting

all associated with hbp, depression, life dissatisfaction

Leads to stress and life dissatisfaction in BOTH majorities and minorities

 

Take Home Points

1. Prejudices/Stereotypes of outgroup members based on so called 'real' differences may not be justified:

2. Stereotyping/ Prejudice/ Discrimination is damaging to BOTH majorities and minorities