psychology of prejudice final

• different groups see the world in contrary views
• ex: members in conflict groups view incidents differently (to benefit themselves)----Palestinians and israeli's

people adopt beliefs of their group and are unaware of other groups view of the world

divergent intergroup perspectives and consequent intergroup misunderstanding contribute directly to intergroup competition and mistrust, from which a single incident can ignite intergroup conflict

• when a group interacts with another group
• potential for reducing prejudice, improve relations and realize benefits of diversity
• dispels fears of rejection and reduces our uncertainty of others , and intergroup anxiety

• -learn more about the world generally
• -group relations

categorize others as members of one's own group

categorizing others as members of another group

• determines what we expect from them and how we interpret behavior
• - thinking about others or ourselves in terms of group membership activates biases
• ------can influence every stage of an interaction

interact with members of another group

• -in-group; expect them to share attitudes and opinions and to be trust worthy
• -out-group; hold different views, untrustworthy, and competitive

our expectations become reality

our beliefs of what others are think about us

may motivate us to avoid intergroup interactions altogether

when people misinterpret each others beliefs and actions in a way that prevent them from acting positively together

• limits our opportunities to correct our misperceptions of members of another group
• personal form of segregation that creates and perpetuates unfair judgments of others

• cause you to adopt different posture
• communication-non verbal beahvior
• position yourself faraway from the other group
• close arms
• less eye contact, blink fast, short glances
• fidget

• discomfort assoc. with anticipating or actually interacting with a member of another group
• relieving intergroup anxiety allows us to see groups in realistic and less threatening ways

• related to groups ability to detect bias
• no conflict needed btw 2 groups engaging in intergroup interaction for them to feel anxious and insecure

sensitive to things that confirm their expectations

• college roommates:
• same race roommates-relationships worsen over time
• different race- deteriorate faster- posses contagion on anxiety
• -------one roommate has anxiety and it makes the other get anxiety-thus signaling rejection of intergroup  interaction

• 2 clusters:
• acceptance; you are a good person
• empowerment; value and status
• minorities seek power/ competence
• majorities seek acceptance/ approval

• attempts to convey an image of power and ingratiating behaviors, which are attempt to get another person like you
• describe specific accomplishments, achievments, and talents , and shows non verbal confidence

• attempts at humor
• draw attention to similarities or common acquaintances
• nodding and smiling

biases that people are aware of and whose expression they can control

biases that are activated automatically and sometimes operate unconsciously

• conflicting explicit attitudes and implicit attitudes
• don't want to face other group you want to avoid them

• 5 conditions needed to reduce bias in intergroup interaction
• 1. equal status
• 2. intergroup cooperations
• 3.  shared groups
• 4. support of authorities, laws, or customs
• 5. exchange of info
• 6. having a least one friend who is a member of the other group

first hand contact required-this implies we can only improve intergroup relations one or two people at a time

• making a friend (PERSONAL) is important to improve intergroup interaction- bring other elements of contact hyp together
• having a friend from another group can reduce long term conflicts
• improve beliefs of the out-group as a whole
• **empathy

• understanding the perspective of the other person so that we respond emotionally to their situations
• we feel for them on a personal emotional level

generalization of the benefits of contact to other types of out groups (if similar to the original out-group they made friends with)

in-group members ,mere knowledge of a close positive relationship with a person in an out-group can reduce intergroup bias

when someone from another group does not confirm our stereotypic preconception

we want consistency so when someone disconfirms a idea we dismiss it and classify them as an exception- different from other members in that group

• people from different cultural backgrounds interact with each other.
• can lead to miscommunication and conflict when people from different cultures interact

• reflected in the structure of influence and authority, goals and objectives, needs and desires, opportunities and outcomes
• noticing differences is normal

• difference sometime generate anxiety about being excluded or treated badly
• or, produce strong violent hostility, or subtle forms of bias

• indicated by degree to which subordinates
• 1. is afraid to disagree with a superior
• 2. perceives that the superior makes decisions in an autocratic or paternalistic way
• 3. prefers that the superior makes decisions in an authoritative or paternalistic way

• the degree to which members of a culture respect of accept a hierarchy of authority and power
• reflective degree of power between a dominant and subordinate person in a social system
• measured from subordinates point of view

• power of interacting parties is relatively equal.
• lower for people with more education and higher occupational stature
• the less power distance a person or culture prefers, the more they demand fairness, justice, and a role in decision making

• people in power command the respect and unquestioned subordination of those with less power
• large power distance
• higher for people from developing countries
• the more a person or culture accepts a large degree of power distance, the less concerned they are with equality and fairness across status lines

influence of cultural standards and practices in what is considered right and wrong, good and bad; and which human categories are important, how they are perceived and valued, and the course of interactions within culturally diverse contexts

teaches us what group distinctions matter in society and how different social groups are valued.

involves acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that enable a person to become a functioning member of society

• people learn their culture through interaction with it(secondary learning)
• explicit teaching
• socialization
• formal learning
• ----learned from sig. people in your environment and through general socialization processes

• inability to differentiate faces of individuals from other races as well as you do those of your own race.
• seen in kids- as early as 3mos
• less time looking at faces from other races

suggest that human perceptual systems are shaped by experiences to be optimally sensitive to stimuli most commonly encountered in their cultural environment.

don't differ from same race friendships in such things as loyalty and emotional security, they were lower in intimacy

giving people a voice in decision making allows them the opportunity to participate in and have influence on decisions that affect them

workers with high power distance orientation would feel more distant from supervisors--not always the case--ex:china

comp.; leads to fear that another person's or another groups gain will result in a loss of resources for one's self or for one's group

based on the belief that people earn their social status based on their individual talents and efforts

based on individual achievements, such as being poor or having only one parent (inferiority), or graduating from top schools or earning a high income (superiority).

• his or her concept of what the world is like
• guides you perception, evaluation, and the interpretation of the world around you

a personal relationship of hatred and malice in which one person desires another person's downfall or attempts to sabotage another person's progress

denying the validity of other's beliefs and insisting on one's own view of everyday existence as normative, natural, and correct

time holds personal and cultural meaning but has no inherent view

• time is unseen arbiter of values, accomplishments, orders and sometimes character
• time directly affects behavior- efficiency, punctuality, discipline, productivity and achievement are often measured against a template of time
• time is not a way to measure progress and accomplishment but is a slient bystander that observes, follows, and bends to the whim of the person's desires

• monochromic time is characterized by doing one thing at a time in a sequential pattern-arbitrary, imposed and socially learned
• polychromic time is characterized by doing many things at once-social and based on transactions
• m-time and p-time interact
• work (m-time)
• play (p-time)

• human attempt to explain the mystery of existence and guide one's behavior
• often a foundation for both cultural differences and cultural conflict

those that are right for me

those that are right for everyone

• often leads to more prej and less stereotype
• in high conflict situations, It may lessen out-group bias
• reduce stereotype tendencies, appreciate individuality, but tend to discriminate against pple because of their group membership

• explicitly emphasize and acknowledge the existence and importance of cultural differences
• reflects beliefs that preserving diff. cultures or cultural ID w/in institutions and societies is desirable and beneficial
• one should value and respect diff
• tend to diminish prej, but often increase stereotypeing

• ID ft of a given envir. that give rise to negative ID contingencies
• securing a feeling of social belonging in settings where negative ID contingencies exist

• clash btw two competing ideas about what is moral, right and good for society
• ex:gay marriage, woman in combat
• based on differences among us, and a desire to make one group's characteristics dominant

• distance people
• focus more on differences than commonalities

more uncertain of the quality of their social bonds and thus more sensitive to issues of social belonging

• green circle
• children bring pple from diff groups into their own circle
• group enhanced intervention based on the common in-group ID model
• activities designed to widen their circles of inclusion to include pple diff from themselves

• multi cultural conscious parenting strategy
• 1. parents should examine their own narrowing tendencies, biases, and prej. and see how they may be communicating them to their children
• 2. parent model multicultural friendship and create a home envir that broadens their childrens experiences and perspectives
• -consistent, honest, and frank communication with children about race, disability, sexual orientation, or social class can be a great help
• - exposing kids to diverse friends, neighbors and other acquaintances and actively created situations of diversity.

• behaviors are affected by a variety of things and could change
• kids taught this:
• --more interested in interracial interaction
• ---more open to experiencing the possibilities of interactions with different people

replacing stereotypical responses with non-stereotypical responses

imagining in detail counter-stereotypic other pple

obtaining specific info about group members to prevent drawing stereotypic inferences about them

adopting the perspective of a person who is a member of a stereotyped group

opt. to encounter and engage in + interactions with counter-stereotypic group members

• treat like a bad habit
• learn about the situation that activated the prej and learn how to replace the unconscious bias

overlearned habits that build up through socialization experiences

aim to educate participants about implicit bias, and train them to apply bias reduction techn.s to break the prej habit.