1. Write down your definition of Stereotype. Sociocultural Cognition #4 Explain the formation of stereotypes and their effect on behaviour.

2.  A social perception of an individual in terms of group membership or physical attributes  A generalization about a group and then attributed to members of that group  Book definition on page 113  These stereotypes can be + or –  Examples??  A form of social categorization which can affect behaviour

3. Occurs when one is in a situation where there is a threat of being judged or treated stereotypically, or a fear that your actions will unintentionally confirm the stereotype

4.  30 minute verbal, multiple choice, test  One group was told it was a “genuine test of their abilities”  African-Americans scored lower than whites  A second group was told it was a lab task used to study how certain problems are solved  African-Americans scored higher than the first group  African-American scores rose to the level of white students  Other studies corroborate these findings Conclusion Stereotype threat can affect the members of just about any social or cultural group, if the members believe that stereotype

5.  Causes emotional distress and pressure that may undermine performance  Steele (1997)  Spencer et al (1977)  Stereotype: women are not as strong in mathematics as men  When given a difficult math test  women who were strong in math underperformed compared with equally qualified men  A literature test showed no disparity between the sexes  There was no stereotype threat about literature

6.  Campbell (1967)  Two sources of stereotypes 1. Personal experience with individuals and groups 2. Gatekeepers: media, parents, and other members of our culture  Campbell argues that stereotypes have a basis in some reality  The “grain of truth” hypothesis  What are some problems with this hypothesis??  Attribution errors are common

7.  Hamilton & Gifford (1976)  People see a relationship b/n two variables even when there is none  For example, women’s inferior ability in math  Researchers say that illusory correlation is an example of “cognitive bias”  A person’s tendency to make errors in judgment based on cognitive factors (ie, attribution errors)

8.  Once illusory correlations are made people tend to seek out or remember information that supports the relationship  People tend to overlook information that contradicts what they already believe

9.  Had female college students create a set of questions to ask a person  One group was told the person they would ask was an introvert  The other group, an extrovert  The questions they prepared confirmed their perceptions of who they were to meet  Examples: introvert: “What do you dislike about parties?”; extrovert: “What do you do to liven up a party?”

10.  Taking on the in-groups ideas  Individuals may conform to the group norms in regards to the out-groups  Rogers & Frantz (1962)  White immigrants to Rhodesia (Zimbabwe today) developed more stereotypes about the locals the longer they stayed  They adopted the social representations of the dominant group

11.  Elliott in the 1960’s decided to tackle the problem of stereotypes, prejudice, & discrimination A Class Divided