Stereotypes & Prejudice; Aggression:Lecture #8 topics

Stereotypes formation, perpetuation, & Amadou Diallo

Prejudice intergroup conflict; social identity theory

Aggression gender, origins (nature vs. nurture), situational factors

Formal course evaluations

Stereotypes

“41 SHOTS”41 shots cut through the nightYou’re kneeling over his body in a vestibulePraying for his life.

Is it a gun, is it a knifeIs it a wallet, this is your lifeIt ain’t no secret, no secret my friendYou can get killed for living in your American skin.

—Bruce Springsteen

Stereotypes

Amadou Diallo

Stereotypes

stereotypes:beliefs that associate an entire group of people with certain traits

athletes are stupid librarians are quiet Italians are emotional White men can’t jump Koreans own convenience stores/ drycleaners

Stereotypes

STEREOTYPE FORMATION

Stereotypes

social categorization:

classifying individuals into groups based on _______ _______

Stereotypes

Benefits lets us form inferences

about people efficiently

Drawbacks _______ of _______

differences; _______ of _______ differences

failure to perceive _______ - _______ information

belief that intergroup differences are more _______ than they really are

Stereotypes

when we distinguish in-groups vs. out-groups:

_______ of intergroup differences may have had adaptive significance over evolution

outgroup _______ effect assumption that there is more _______ among out-

group members than among in-group members _______ leads to perception that out-group members

all look the same (e.g., East Asians)

Stereotypes

www.alllooksame.com:

my score: 8/ 18“needs a lotmore work”

Stereotypes

what accounts for out-group homogeneity?

_______ _______ with out-groups in-group members are seen as _______; out-group

members are seen more _______

_______ samples of out-groups obnoxious U of T students at football game do NOT

represent ALL U of T students

Stereotypes

fundamental attribution error:overestimation of personal & underestimation of situational factors when explaining other people’s behaviour

e.g., _______ _______ : we don’t take into account that underperformance is due to _______, not personal ability; thus, our stereotypes get confirmed

Stereotypes

Billie Jean King &Bobby Riggs

stereotype-disconfirming acts are explained by _______ situational factors & _______ personalfactors

e.g., Billie Jean won because of luck, not skill

Stereotypes

confirmation bias:

tendency to interpret & seek information that confirms our expectations

we interpret _______ behaviours to be _______ with stereotypes

e.g., an ambiguously aggressive behaviour will be seen as more threatening when actor is Black rather than White

Stereotypes

Stone (1997):HIGH

LOWPlayer is White Player is Black

Rat

ings

of p

laye

r

Court smartsAthletic ability

Stereotypes

self-fulfilling prophesies:

when our expectations about someone cause him/ her to act in ways that confirm our expectations

e.g., Word (1974): White interviewers’ demeanour elicited _______ performance from Black applicants, which confirmed stereotypes

Stereotypes

Payne (2001):

TASK:Is object a weapon?

_______ _______

_______ ______________ _______

Stereotypes

Correll (2002):

_______

GUN:“SHOOT”

CELL PHONE:“DON’T SHOOT”

_______

GUN:“SHOOT”

CELL PHONE:“DON’T SHOOT”

Stereotypes

RESULTS:

ARMED TARGET

_________________________

UNARMED TARGET

__________________________________________________

Prejudice

Sherif’s (1954) Robbers Cave study:

boys formed in-groups

groups went to war

groups made peace

Prejudice

Tajfel’s (1971) minimal groups paradigm:

participants divided into “_______” & “_______” created _______ _______: categorizing people into

groups according to _______ similarities

participants awarded more points to people in their own groups than to people in the other group in-group bias: favouring your _______ over

_______

Prejudice

social identity theory (Tajfel, 1982; Turner, 1987):

we’re motivated to enhance self-esteem, which consists of: _______ self-esteem: based on personal identity _______ self-esteem: based on social identity

we enhance self-esteem by: _______ achievements, or connecting ourselves with _______ groups

Prejudice

basic predictions:

if our self-esteem is _______ , in-group favouritism will _______

when we _______ our in-groups, our self-esteem will _______

Prejudice

Fein & Spencer (1997):HIGH

LOWItalian applicant Jewish applicant

Rat

ings

of a

pplic

ants

Positive feedbackNegative feedback

Prejudice

Fein & Spencer (1997):HIGH

LOWItalian applicant Jewish applicant

Incr

ease

in s

elf-e

stee

m

Positive feedbackNegative feedback

Aggression

hitting others while enraged

hiring someone to break someone’s kneecaps

murdering for $$

deliberately failing to stop harm

insulting someone

swinging a stick at someone but missing

biting someone on the neck

working hard to make a sale

accidentally hurting someone

AGGRESSIVE?BEHAVIOUR

Aggression

aggression:behaviours intended to harm another individual

In the U.S. in 2002, there was, on average:

One MURDER …every 32 minutesOne RAPE …every 6 minutesOne AGGRAVATED ASSAULT …every 35 secondsOne VIOLENT CRIME …every 22 seconds

Aggression

ORIGINS OF AGGRESSIONinstinct theories:

Freud: aggression = _______ of life over death instinct

Lorenz: aggression enhances _______ survival

evolutionary perspectives: aggression enhances _______ survival adaptive to not aggress against _______ _______ adaptive for males to aggress to ensure _______ adaptive for females to aggress to _______ _______

Aggression

biological perspectives: role of testosterone:

_______ transsexuals experience _______ aggression

_______ transsexuals experience _______ aggression

role of serotonin (5-HT): helps decrease _______ low 5-HT related to higher aggression; drugs (SSRIs)

that _______ 5-HT activity related to _______ aggression

Aggression

learning perspectives:

aggression is _______ reinforcing a child who hits to get a toy will be more likely to hit

again

aggression is _______ reinforcing a child who shoves to stop teasing will be more likely

to shove again

Aggression

using punishment to stop aggression can backfire:

spanking gives kids a role model to imitate – can encourage aggression

corporal punishment is related to childhood & adult aggression & to adult criminal behaviour

Aggression

social learning theory (Bandura, 1977): we learn from _______’ examples & from

_______ experience with rewards & punishment _______ influence whether we help or harm

the Bobo doll study (1961) watching an _______ model led kids to _______ they _______ their aggression to the model (they

punched when she punched & kicked when she kicked)

Aggression

SITUATIONAL INFLUENCES

frustration-aggression hypothesis (Dollard, 1939):

_______ progress toward a goal causes _______, eliciting motivation to aggress

all aggression is caused by _______

Aggression

we _______ our aggression when we can’t aggress against source of frustration we deflect it from real target onto a substitute

aggression is _______ motivation to aggress drops when we imagine,

observe, or act out aggression this reduces physiological arousal, which decreases

anger & likelihood of aggressing

Aggression

evidence does not support aggression as cathartic:

imagining/ seeing aggressive models _______ arousal

if aggression feels _______ because it decreases arousal, chances of future aggression increase

anger may _______ if we blow off steam

Aggression

SITUATIONAL INFLUENCES

heat:

higher incidence of violent crimes during summer during hotter years in hotter cities

Aggression

ML pitchers more likely to hit batters when it’s hot:HIGH

LOW<21°C 21-26°C 27-32°C 33+°C

HB

Ps p

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ame