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Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination: A Social Psychological Perspective
Keith MaddoxDepartment of Psychology
Tufts University
University of Texas at AustinNovember 3, 2011
Overview
• Definitions:• Social Psychology / Social Cognition • Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
• Who is Biased? Explicit & Implicit Associations• Demonstration
• How Bias Affects Us• Perceiver and Target Perspectives
• Conclusion
Definitions• Social Psychology
– The scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in a social context.
• It’s all in the Method• , (A)ffect, (B)ehavior, and (C)ognition• Real or imagined presence of other people
• Social Cognition– The study of how people make sense of themselves and
others• Focus on process in addition to content• Informed from research in cognitive psychology
Tenets of Social Psychology
• The Social Construction of Reality– The way a person construes a person situation dictates our
thoughts, feelings, and behavior
• The Determinants of Behavior– Person × Situation = Behavior
• The Power of the Situation– Situations often have a large, underappreciated influence
on our thoughts, feelings, and behavior– Personality is often overemphasized
Pick a number...
• Pick a number between 1 and 9
• Subtract 5• Multiply by 3• Square the number• Add the digits
• If number is less than 5, add 5 to it. If the number is greater than 5, subtract 4
• Take the absolute value
• Multiply by 2• Subtract 6
Pick a number...
• Map your number to its corresponding letter in the alphabet (A=1, B=2, C=3…)
• Pick the name of a country that begins with that letter
• Take the second letter of that country and pick a mammal that begins with it.
• Think of a common color of that animal
Grey Elephant from Denmark
Brown Orangutan from the Dominican Republic
Yellow or Orange Jaguar from Djbouti
WTF?!?
• The Availability Heuristic– Making judgments based on the
ease with which information comes to mind.
• Countries:– Denmark, Dominican Republic,
Djbouti • Mammals:
– Elephant, Orangutan , Jaguar• Colors
– Grey, Brown, Orange
The ABCs of SP&D
• Stereotypes (C)– Endorsed or unendorsed knowledge about the
attributes associated with a group of people.
• Prejudice (A)– An positive or negative attitude toward others
based on group membership.
• Discrimination (B)– Unjustifiable negative behavior toward others
based on group membership.
Two “Modes” of (Social) Cognition
AUTOMATIC PROCESSING
• Fast• Unconscious • Mandatory • Efficient
CONTROLLED PROCESSING
• Slow• Conscious• Optional • Effortful
caressfreedomhealthlove
peacecheer
heavenpleasurediamond
gentlehonestlucky
rainbowmiraclesunrisefamilyhappy
laughterparadisevacation
abusefilth
sicknessaccident
deathgrief
poisonstink
disasterhatredpollutetragedydivorce
jailugly
cancerevilkill
rottenvomit
AIESHALASHELLESHEREENTEMEKAEBONY
LATISHASHANIQUATAMEISHALATONYATANISHALAKISHASHARISELATOYATASIKA
YOLANDALASHANDRA
MALIKANIKISHA
TAWANDAYVETTE
AMANDACOURTNEYHEATHERMELANIE
SARAAMBERKATIE
MEREDITHBETSY
KIRSTINNANCY
STEPHANIEBOBBIE-SUE
ELLENLAURENPEGGYEMILY
MEGANRACHELWENDY
cancerhealthcorpse
diamondtruthdevil
assaulttriumph
glorybrutaltalentagony
kindnessfamily
divorcestink
pleasuretorturebomb peace
LEFT side ifUNPLEASAN
T
RIGHT side if
PLEASANT
SARAAIESHA
MEREDITHKATIE
SHEREENBOBBIE-SUE
TAWANDANIKISHAAMANDAMEGANMALIKALATOYAWENDYTEMEKARACHEL
LASHANDACOLLEENKIRSTIN
TAMEISHAEBONY
LEFT side ifBLACK name
RIGHT side if
WHITE name
WENDYhealth
LAURENdiamondAIESHA
devilSHARISEtriumphLINDAbrutal
LATOYAagony
SHANEKAfamilyKATIEstink
HEATHERtorture
LASHELLEpeace
LEFT side ifUNPLEASAN
Tor
BLACK name
RIGHT side if
PLEASANTor
WHITE name
truthugly
assaultcheerglory
cancerhealthcorpse
diamond filth
talentdivorce
stinkpleasuretorturepollute peace agony
diplomarainbow
LEFT side ifUNPLEASAN
T
RIGHT side if
PLEASANT
AIESHALASHELLEAMANDAHEATHERTEMEKABETSY
SHEREENLAKISHA
ELLENSARA
MALIKAYOLANDALAURENTANISHADONNAEBONY
STEPHANIEEMILY
NICHELLETAWANDA
LEFT side ifWHITE name
RIGHT side if
BLACK name
AMBERhealth
COURTNEYdiamondTEMEKA
devilSHANIQUA
triumphELLENbrutal
LATOYAagony
PEGGYfamily
COLLEENstink
NANCYtortureEBONYpeace
LEFT side ifUNPLEASAN
Tor
WHITE name
RIGHT side if
PLEASANTor
BLACK name
LEFT side ifUNPLEASAN
Tor
WHITE name
RIGHT side if
PLEASANTor
BLACK name
LEFT side ifUNPLEASAN
Tor
BLACK name
RIGHT side if
PLEASANTor
WHITE nameImplicit Associations Testhttp://implicit.harvard.edu
• Associations like these are everywhereo Age, Race, Gender, Political Affiliation, etc…
• They are pervasiveo We are usually unaware but they can influence
judgment and behavior
• Can we stop them?
Implicit Associations
• Stereotypes guide:What we see
What we remember What we beli
eve
How we act towards others
Why are stereotypes pervasive?
How we explain behavior
Perceiver Perspective
• Confirmation Bias– We tend to see what we already believe
(stereotypes)• Particularly when behavior is ambiguous
• Attribution Bias– We ignore the role that the situation plays in
shaping a person’s behavior, and instead blame their disposition (traits)• Female athletes and Title IX
• Cross-Race Recognition Deficit– We more easily confuse people who belong to
racial outgroups• Contributes to wrongful conviction/incarceration rates
for minorities.
Cross Race Recognition Deficit
K-Madd T-Pain
Keith Maddox Chip GidneyReg Adams Sam Sommers
Jenni Sarah
The Target’s Perspective
• Attributional Ambiguity– Uncertainty about whether treatment (feedback) is based on group
or personal attributes
– Implications for self-knowledge• Uncertainty about aptitude and abilities
• Stereotype Threat– Debilitating concern over confirming a negative group stereotype
through one’s own behavior.– Implications for performance
• Leads to impaired performance on stereotype-relevant tasks.
What can you do about it?
• Potential strategies
– Colorblindness?
– Suppression?
– Consciousness raising?
A Caveat
• Racism, Sexism, Heterosexism, Classism, Anti-Semitism, etc.
• “isms” – 1. An individual’s prejudicial attitudes, beliefs, and
discrimination toward people of a given group.– 2. Institutional practices (even if not seemingly
motivated by prejudice) that subordinate people of a given group.• Lack of wheelchair access to buildings?• English exam for LPGA Tour?• Night clubs with dress codes?
• Making Implicit Processes Explicit
– Acknowledge that people are different, but;
– Recognize that stereotypes can cloud and exaggerate those differences, and;
– Strategize to minimize their impact on personal and institutional levels.
Conclusion
Diagnostic Non-Diagnostic0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Black Ps
White Ps
Nu
mb
er o
f C
orre
ct A
nsw
ers
What are the effects of stereotypes?
Steele & Aronson (1995)
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