Prejudice

Prejudice: a negative preconceived notion that we hold towards individuals due to their membership to a particular group.

Mutual interdependence: when individuals must rely on one another to meet each person’s goals, prejudice and discrimination is reduced.

• Equality of status: involves social interaction that occurs at the same level, without obvious differences in power or status.
• Members of the in-group and outgroup interact with each other, but without one group exerting power over the other.

Changing social norms: Social norms are rules, standards or behaviours that are generally understood or accepted within society.

Norms can be changed through the passing of legislation, awareness campaigns and spending time with out-groups.

When intergroup contact is increased between the people who hold the stereotype and those who are the target of the stereotype, prejudice is reduced.

This occurs when contact is sustained, equality exists and when meeting the goals for each group requires mutual interdependence

For maximum benefit, intergroup contact should be prolonged and involve cooperative activity

shared goals, which individuals cannot achieve without the cooperation of others.

○Helps reduce conflict by encouraging people in opposing groups to see themselves as members of a single, larger group.