Write a journal summary on Social Identification.
OUTLINE
I . Putting Common Sense to the Test
II . Stereotypes
A . How Stereotypes Form
B . How Stereotypes Survive and Self-Perpetuate
C . Is Stereotyping Inevitable? Automatic Versus Intentional Processes
D . “41 Shots” Revisited: Did Racial Stereotypes Make the Police More Likely to Shoot
Amadou Diallo
III . Prejudice
A . Intergroup Conflict
B . Social Identity Theory
C . Implicit Theories and Ideologies
IV . Sexism
A . Gender Stereotyping: Blue for Boys, Pink for Girls
B . Culture and Popular Media
C . Ambivalent Sexism Sex
D . Sex Discrimination: Double Standards and Pervasive Stereotypes
V . Racism
A . Going Under Cover: Modern and Implicit Racism
B . Interracial Perceptions and Interactions
VI . A Threat in the Air: Effects on the Targets of Stereotypes and Prejudice
A . Perceiving Discrimination
B . Stereotype Threat and Academic Achievement
VII . Reducing Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
A . Intergroup Conflict
B . The Jigsaw Classroom
C . Decategorization and Recategorization
D . Changing Cultures and Motivations
VIII . Review
IX . Key Terms
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: GUIDELINES FOR STUDY
You should be able to do each of the following by the conclusion of Chapter 5.
1 . Define and distinguish the concepts of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. (pp. 133)
2 . Explain the different ways in which stereotypes form. Describe the human tendencies towards
social categorization and the formation of ingroup/outgroup distinctions, and discuss the
repercussions of these tendencies. (pp. 133-137)
3 . Describe the ways in which stereotypes are perpetuated, including illusory correlation,
attributional processes, subtyping, and confirmation bias. (pp. 137-140)
2 Chapter 5: Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
4 . Identify factors that can impact whether or not stereotypes influence social judgment. Discuss the
question of whether stereotyping is automatic or intentional, and consider the implications of this
issue for real-world events, such as the police shooting of Amadou Diallo. (pp. 140-147)
5 . Explain how prejudice differs from stereotyping. Describe the significance of realistic conflict
theory—as well as the Robbers Cave study—for understanding prejudice. (pp. 147-149)
6 . Explain social identity theory and how it accounts for ingroup favoritism. Discuss cultural
differences in social identity processes, as well as the role of ideology when it comes to
understanding prejudice. (pp. 149-153)
7 . Discuss the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes in society and the cultural forces that reinforce
such beliefs. Explain what is meant by the concept of ambivalent sexism. (pp. 154-158)
8 . Explain what psychologists mean when they refer to modern sexism and modern racism. (pp. 158-
162)
9 . Define implicit racism and discuss the types of methods that can be used to assess it. (pp. 162-
164)
10 . Describe the factors that complicate interracial interaction and the psychological impact of such
interactions on the individuals involved. (pp. 164-165)
11 . Describe the effects of discrimination from the target’s perspective. Explain the concept of
stereotype threat, including the reasons it happens and its range of consequences. Consider the
different situations likely to elicit stereotype threat, and the different populations susceptible to
stereotype threat effects. (pp. 165-171)
12 . Explain the contact hypothesis and the conditions that enable intergroup contact to reduce
prejudice. Describe the jigsaw classroom and how it can reduce prejudice. (pp. 172-175)
MAJOR CONCEPTS: THE BIG PICTURE
Below are five basic issues or principles that organize Chapter 5. You should know these issues and
principles well.
1 . Stereotypes are beliefs about others based on their group membership. People share the tendency
to put individuals into social categories. This social categorization leads people to see outgroup
members as all the same and to generalize from characterizations of individual members to
characterizations of the group and vice versa. Stereotypes lead to the distortion of people’s
perception of others and can be self-perpetuating. Further they are often activated without
people’s awareness and can affect people’s perceptions without their awareness. With effort,
people can sometimes overcome the use of stereotypes, but suppression of their use is difficult on
a long-term basis.
2 . Prejudice consists of negative feelings about others based on their group membership. Such
feelings of prejudice can arise from conflicts with others, as demonstrated in the Robbers Cave
experiment. They can also arise from an effort to maintain a positive sense of self-esteem and a
positive group identity.
3 . Sexism is discrimination based on a person’s gender. Gender stereotypes are prevalent the world
over and are often activated in our personal interactions. Although differences do exist between
men and women on some traits, gender stereotypes typically exaggerate these differences. The
media and social roles help perpetuate gender stereotypes. The impact of sexism is clearly seen in
the context of occupational access: Both men and women are judged more favorably when they
apply for jobs that are consistent with gender stereotypes.
Chapter 5: Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination 3
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
4 . Racism is discrimination based on a person’s skin color or ethnic origin. Although most research
has focused on Blacks and Whites, the growing number of multiracial people in North America is
bound to change this. While overt endorsement of racist statements on surveys has declined over
the years, subtle forms of prejudice are still pervasive and can take the form of ambivalence or
even unconscious discrimination. Recently a number of researchers have made important
advances in detecting such forms of modern racism by using computer tasks.
5 . The targets of discrimination often cope with negative feedback by attributing it to prejudice.
While this strategy appears to have positive consequences for self-esteem, targets may feel a lack
of control over their lives. The targets of stereotyping are affected by the threat that the stereotype
implies about their ability. Research on stereotype threat shows that when people believe others
may view them stereotypically this can undermine their academic performance; however, when
this stereotype threat is removed, the stereotyped perform just as well as the unstereotyped.
6 . Intergroup contact can lead to better intergroup relations, but only when the groups have equal
status and are characterized by personal interactions, the need to achieve common goals, and
supportive social norms. The jigsaw classroom is one technique that has consistently improved
race relations. Changes in the kinds of information perpetuated in one’s culture can alter how an
individual perceives social groups.
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