Stereotypes & Prejudice; Aggression: Lecture #8 topics

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 night You’re kneeling over his body in a vestibule Praying for his life. Is it a gun, is it a knife Is it a wallet, this is your life It ain’t no secret, no secret my friend You 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 STEREOTYPEFORMATION

Stereotypes social categorization: classifying individuals into groups based on _______ _______

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

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 lot more 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 & _______ personal factors • 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 Court smarts Ratings of player Athletic ability LOW Player is White Player is Black

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):

Stereotypes Correll (2002):

Stereotypes RESULTS:

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 Positive feedback Ratings of applicants Negative feedback LOW Italian applicant Jewish applicant

Prejudice Fein & Spencer (1997): HIGH Positive feedback Increase in self-esteem Negative feedback LOW Italian applicant Jewish applicant

Aggression BEHAVIOUR AGGRESSIVE? accidentally hurting someone working hard to make a sale biting someone on the neck swinging a stick at someone but missing insulting someone deliberately failing to stop harm murdering for $$ hiring someone to break someone’s kneecaps hitting others while enraged

Aggression aggression: behaviours intended to harm another individual In the U.S. in 2002, there was, on average: One MURDER …every 32 minutes One RAPE …every 6 minutes One AGGRAVATED ASSAULT …every 35 seconds One VIOLENT CRIME …every 22 seconds

Aggression ORIGINS OF AGGRESSION instinct 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 HBPs per game LOW <21°C 21-26°C 27-32°C 33+°C

Stereotypes & Prejudice; Aggression: Lecture #8 topics