I. Defining Prejudice Prejudice is the spoiled fruit that grows - PDF document

I. Defining Prejudice ““Prejudice is the spoiled fruit that grows from the cognitive vine. It sprouts from a Prejudice kernel of truth among the weeds of Blaine Ch. 4 distortion. It is fertilized by existential fear and the drive for self enhancement.” Prejudice = Cognitive Stereotypes and other - There are positive and negative prejudices. Motives. Gordon Alport: Unjustified negative - Positive prejudices:? judgements of an individual based on his or her social group identity - Negative prejudices:? Me: assumptions (accurate or not) about - Whether positive or negative in valence, an individual based on their perceived they are problematic because they are (accurate or otherwise) group inaccurate and/or lead to negative membership. outcomes for individuals or groups. II. Explaining Prejudice: The Other A. Prejudice Enhances Self Esteem Motives 1. Social Identity Theory – - Prejudice involves stereotypes and -Group Membership is part of Personal identity. exaggerated by two basic motivations -We need to keep a positive view of ourselves and - The Need for Self-Enhancement: therefore our groups Birging : Basking in Reflected Glory: “When We - “If your not OK, then I must be.” won, and when They lose” Downward Social Comparisons : “Man those - The Need to Protect Ourselves from a people suck, glad I’m not one of ‘em” Threatening World: Ingroup Bias/Outgroup Derogation - “If your OK, then I am wrong about the world. Minimal Groups : “its Always us and them, even when it doesn’t matter” If I am wrong about the world, then we are all gona’ die” 1

Relative Deprivation = negative outgroup attitudes 2. Positive Self Esteem facilitates prejudice: - not getting what you should, what you had, or what “The more you have, the more you have to their getting. loose.” - “any gain they make, means I lose” High Self Esteem, Status, & success = ingroup bias. Conditions of Relative Deprivation Low Self Esteem, Status, & success = low 10 0 ingroup bias. 80 60 40 20 0 Base Line Should Have Did H ave They Get Dominant G roup Subordinant Group 2) Prejudice Buffers Anxiety about an Mortality Salience and Unpredictable World T itle o f C h a rt Attitude Polarization Terror Management Theory: “Dying scares - Mortality Salience = me, good thing it wont happen to me” when we have been 1 00 - Our Worldview’s protect us against the fear reminded that we will 8 0 of death (the existential crisis) die. 6 0 - Worldview = values, beliefs, rituals, and - When mortality is 4 0 salient we rely on our 2 0 concepts validated by groups. worldview to protect 0 - Maintaining a Worldview = provides In g ro u p T arg et O utgro up T a rge t us. meaning, order, and permanence to life T V G rou p D ea th G ro u p III. Modern Prejudice A. Concealing your True Feelings Question - Has Prejudice Really Changed? - Overt vs. Covert Prejudice. -since 1900 - Old Fashioned Racism (Overt Prejudice) -since 1950s - Modern Racism/Prejudice (Covert) -since 1980s - Measuring it: - The Bogus Pipeline Since the late 50’s self reports of prejudice - The Bonafide Pipeline (Measuring Mental have greatly decreased Representations) Question – Does this mean that people are - Outgroup Homogeneity Test not as prejudiced? - Priming and the Lexical Decision Task Expressed in covert and indirect ways - The Implicit Association Test Question – How do you measure this? - (Extra Cred.) 1 page write up of your reaction to the Demo (don’t do the research, you know too much) https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ 2

B. Self reports of Modern Prejudice C. Automatic Prejudice: The results of Open Derogation of Values instead of Schemas and Stereotypes race/ethnicity: -Prejudice does not have to be intentional a. Denial of continuing discrimination: “Discrimination against Blacks is no longer a problem in -Stereotypes : Automatic = fast, non- the United States.” conscious, effortless, the first response b. Antagonism towards the demands of the Minority Group. -Personal Beliefs: Controlled = Slower, “It is easy (hard) to understand the anger of Black conscious, effortful. people in America” “Blacks are getting too demanding in their push for - Over time controlled responses can equal rights” become automatic, but it requires effort c. Resentment about “Special Favors” “Over the past few years blacks have gotten more economically than they deserve” It only works if certain conditions exist. D. Reducing Prejudice - Conditions: 1) Individuals must be of equal status. 1. The Contact Hypothesis = “They become Us” 2) Interaction must be cooperative a. Sherif – The Robber’s Cave Study (Common goal/external threat) http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/peaceed/pe_robbers_cave. html 3) Contact must be sanctioned and b. Alport (1945) contact between groups: supported by authority figures. a. reduces negative attitudes toward individual 4) Individuals must be seen as outgroup members. representative of their respective groups b. improves our attitudes and feelings toward (otherwise subtyping occurs). the outgroup. How does it work 2. Self-regulation = Know thy self - Results: - Conscious efforts to reduce one’s prejudice 1) Blurs the Us n Them distinction - overriding the automatic responses Redefines the Groups – They become We -The Motivation to be accurate - reducing should and would discrepancies (inherent in modern prejudice). 2) Provides Individual Information - Reduces outgroup homogeneity - Some evidence that cognitive training can be reduce stereotyping -Stereotype negation training. 3