INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL SCIENCES

Attitudes and prejudice

ATTITUDES

An attitude is an affective (affect) the

feeling of liking or disliking based on

beliefs (cognitions) about an object

which leads to a readiness to behave

(behaviour) in a certain manner.

ATTITUDE - AFFECT “I hate tennis” “ I love red” “Mmmm. Chinese food” “Ewwww. Dust bunnies”

Emotions in our attitudes The feeling of like or dislike that causes us to

evaluate an object as good or bad Emotional reactions make up the affective

component of an attitude , can be positive (like, love, desire, wanting) , negative (dislike, hatred, rejection, contempt) or neutral (disinterest uncertainty)

ATTITUDE - COGNITION

The cognitive component of an attitude forms beliefs and assumptions about aspects of our social world.

These assumptions can be as unfair as the affects.

ATTITUDE - BEHAVIOR

As a result of affect and cognition, we behave in a certain way.

A racist white man can object to work under a black but highly qualified person.

SOURCES OF ATTITUDES Some basic attitudes are instinctive

which is rare We build our likes and dislikes based on

our experiences Or we are conditioned Or people around us may teach us the

attitudes directly or indirectly Sources of attitudes are

ExposureConditioningSocialization

SOURCES - EXPOSURE Repeated exposure to an idea may

change your attitude towards the positive side or occasionally to the negative side.

E.g.Non sense words repeated many times Reverse image of our own picture is more

appealing because that’s how we see us in the mirror.

SOURCES - CONDITIONING Classic conditioning

Emphasizes the link between an environmental stimulus and the person’s response.

E.g. associating fanta with fun in an adMountain dew with adventureA certain song with a situation

Operant conditioningBehaviors which are rewarded are

reinforced, punished ones are not.

SOURCES - SOCIALIZATION

Various social agents teach us attitudes to adopt.

Do not play with her, she is a bad childDo watch Hamsafar, it’s amazing!!!You ate a bun kabab from a thela, how

gross.Designer lawn is thing girl, all others are

rubbish,

PREJUDICE An intergroup attitude – unjustifiable

feeling of like or dislike towards the members of the group.

Generally negative, hence negative connotation associated with the word prejudice.

STEREOTYPES

Stereotype (belief) that leads to prejudice (attitude), makes people discriminate (behavior).

Stereotype is “A generalization about a group of people that distinguishes those people from others”

PROPERTIES OF STEREOTYPES Stereotypes are generalizations

Some stereotypes may include a trace of truth

Stereotypes are usually evaluative

Stereotyping is not a wholly rational activity.

TYPES OF PREJUDICE

Racial prejudice Gender based prejudice

RACIAL PREJUDICE People of same race prefer to interact

with each other.

A dislike for other races

Demeaning behavior towards other races

GENDER BASED PREJUDICE Men’s prejudice against women

Women’s prejudiced against women

Glass ceiling effect

SOCIAL SOURCES OF PREJUDICE Social Inequalities

Unequal status breeds prejudice Maybe due to wealth, strength, family,

nationality etc. Prejudice seem to justify the hurtful and insulting

behavior against the prejudiced. Leads to dehumanizing, a prejudiced person is

not a human with individual qualities, but a race, nationality, social status etc.

Religion and PrejudicePeople belonging to one religion are

prejudiced against others Lesser tolerance for people with different views.

Ingroups and Outgroups Ingroup

A group of people who share a sense of belonging, a feeling of common identity.

Outgroup A group that is perceived distinctively different

from or apart from the ingroup. Ingroup bias

Tendency to favor one’s ingroup. Leads to

Liking of one’s ingroupDislike for outgroupNot necessarily leads devaluing of outgroup

members.

ConformityPrejudice maybe maintained to conform to

the social norms of society. The need might not exactly be bias against

people, rather the need to be accepted in society.

EMOTIONAL SOURCES OF PREJUDICE Frustration and aggression

Cause of frustration too intimidating (strong) or too vague, it is redirected towards someone else.

Intensifies dislike for the already dislikedAnother source is competition.Competition for the same thing, when one

group gets it the other group dislikes them Personality dynamics

Need for status and group identification – allows a feeling of superiority over others when belonging to a group.

COGNITIVE SOURCES Stereotypes are result of simplification

of the complex world. Categorization

Organizing the world by making clusters of people and objects.

Makes it easier to think and remember about them.

Similarities within groups and differences between groups are exaggerated due to categorization.

Distintive Stimuli in peoplePeople having something distinctive stand

out more.You read more into their behavior than

happens.You might notice more things that may

otherwise be unnoticed.

AttributionAttributing behavior to the inner

personalities and ignoring situational forces.This happens due to focusing more on

people and not on the constraints of their situations.

Attribution error – when actions are described of people in groups.

The just world phenomenon – The tendency of people to believe that the world is just and therefore people get what they deserve and deserve and what they get. (strengthened through moral stories) – encourages attribution.