Effects of

Stereotyping
Explain the formation of
stereotypes and their effects on
behavior.
SAQ
This is a two part question:
1.Explain the origins of stereotypes
2. Discuss their effect on behavior.

You only need to know ONE effect and

be able to describe ONE relevant
study.
 Stereotypes are...
Cognitive representations of a social
group that helps simplify the social
world and allow assumptions to be
made about a person based on limited
information.
Types of schema which you apply to all
members of a group.
Systems of categorization which helps
us to predict the behavior of others.
About people--therefore can be false
predictions!
 Stereotypes are also...
Often acquired indirectly from other people &
social norms
Not from personal experience
Tend to be very general in nature
individuals acknowledge that they cant be
applied to all members of the group.
the stereotype serves as a heuristic--the person
is like to this until proven otherwise.
Prone to confirmation bias
we tend to see examples that confirm our
Stereotypes are often used in
humor:

What is the message of this

commercial?
Why does it make us laugh?
To what extent is this a stereotype?
Origins of Stereotypes
3 Theories on the origins of
stereotypes:
Social Identity Theory
Conformity (to group norms)
Illusory Correlations (connections that
dont really exist)
You only need to learn ONE of these 3
theories...
 Social Identity Theory
Henri Tajfel proposed that stereotyping is
based on a normal cognitive process:
the tendency to group things together.

We tend to exaggerate:
the differences between groups

the similarities of things in the same groups

We see the group to which we belong (in-

group) as being different from the others
and members of the same group as being more
 Schaller (1991)
Carried out an experiment to see how groups
membership may lead to stereotyping.
Participants were initially assigned to be members of a
minority group or a majority group
They were then presented with a series of statements
that described members of the two groups performing
either desirable or undesirable behaviors.
Results showed that participants perceived illusory
correlations that favored their own group, indicating
an in-group bias.
They also showed negative stereotyping of the out-
group, focusing on the more negative aspects of
behavior, rather than the positive behaviors.
Conformity to Group
Norms
Connected to Social Identity Theory is
conformity research
We often conform in order to be a member of
a group and to feel accepted.
One of the basic principles of the SCLOA is
that we are social animals with an innate
need to belong
Rogers & Frantz (1961) carried out a
study of how conformity led to higher
rates of stereotyping and willingness to
Illusory Correlation
Sometimes a perception can be
formed that theres a relationship
between events, actions and
behaviors when, in fact, no
relationship exists
e.g. a woman lives next to university
students who are loud and disrespectful.
When she chooses a new home, she
refuses to live near college students
generalizing that the behavior of her
previous neighbors is indicative of all
 Hamilton & Gifford (1976)
Carried out a study where participants listened to a
series of statements made about people from 2
groups--Group A & B
Twice as many people in Group A as Group B (so
group B was the minority)
Each statement was about one individual in the
group and it was either + or -
Each group had the same proportion of positive and
negative comments
Participants were then asked how many of the
people in each group had + or - traits
they overestimated the number of negative traits in
 Hamilton & Gifford
Continued
Argued that this was because the minority
group was by nature smaller in number, their
negative behaviors appeared more distinct
and appear to be be more representative of
the group
So, one minority male is caught stealing and
it appears to be related to the fact that he is
a minority.
This is one of the reasons that today in many
countries they dont report the race or
ethnicity of people who have been charged
with a crime...
Stereotype Threat As you watch the video, please
answer the following
questions:
1. What is meant by the term
stereotype threat?
2. In the study by Steele &
Aronson (1995), what was
the IV in the first 3
versions of the
experiment?
3. What IV was added in the
4th experiment? Why did
the researchers do this?
 Stereotyping Threat

Stereotype threat is not only about academics. It can also play a

role in sports.
Stone (2002) carried out a study with white athletes.
They were told that they were going to be tested on a golf-
related task.
The task was either described as reflecting "factors correlated
with natural athletic ability" (high stereotype threat) or
"factors correlated with general sports performance" (low
stereotype threat).
Stone Continued

Before completing the task, students were allowed to practice

as long as they liked.
Participants who identified highly with sports practiced
significantly less in the high threat compared with the low
threat condition.
Students who did not identify with sports showed equivalent
levels of practice in the two stereotype threat conditions.

These results show that one consequence of stereotype threat

can be reduced preparation and effort.
It is believed that such "self-handicapping" can offer
psychological protection by providing an explanation for
failure even while undermining preparation.
 Memory Distortion

Allport & Postman (1947) --Remember this one???

Showed participants a drawing of a white man

holding a razor and threatening a black man on
the subway.

When participants were later asked to recall the image, many

recalled that the black man was threatening the white man.
This shows how racial stereotypes may affect memory.
According to Bartlett, we often assimilate information into
schema that we already have.
Martin & Halvorson (1983)
Wanted to see if gender stereotyping would influence recall in 5- and 6-
year-old children.

Each child was shown 16 pictures, half of which depicted a child

performing gender-consistent activities (for example, a boy playing
with a truck) and half showing children displaying gender-inconsistent
behaviors (for example, a girl chopping wood).

One week later, they tested the recall of the children to see how many of
the photos that they could recall accurately.

The results showed that children easily recalled the sex of the actor for
scenes in which actors had performed gender-consistent activities.
But when the actors behavior was gender inconsistent, the children often
distorted the scene by saying that the actors sex was consistent with the
activity they recalled - that is, they would remember that it was the boy
playing with a truck, when in fact they had been shown a photo of a girl
playing with a truck.
Diagnosis
Lewis (1990)
Carried out a study to see how racial stereotyping may affect
diagnosis and treatment.
139 psychiatrists were shown a written case history.

They were asked to make a judgment on the treatment that the patient should
have.

They were also required to predict whether criminal proceedings should be

instigated as a result of the behavior described.

Some psychiatrists were told that it was a black Afro-Caribbean patient, while
others were told that it was a white patient.

The symptoms for both were identical.

He found that when the patient was described as black, the psychiatrists were
more likely to recommend drug treatment, and the patient was also seen as
more violent and criminal.
Fernando (1988)

Claims that stereotyped ideas about race are inherent in

British psychiatry.
e.g., there are stereotypes of black violence and the belief
that blacks cannot use help.
Research has shown that the compulsory detaining of
Afro-Caribbean patients in secure hospitals is higher
than for any other group.
Implicit Association Test
Go to the following web page and read the introductory information on the page
and then take the IAT.
Click on Research and click on the appropriate buttons for consent before
beginning the IAT.
1. Read over the IAT instructions carefully before beginning.
2. Do the IAT and review your results.
3. Read over the "Frequently Asked Questions" (general) and the frequently
asked questions that are specific to the IAT that you completed.
Now answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper (you will turn
this into me for points):
4. Which IAT did you complete? Describe what you were required to do during
this IAT.
5. What is the purpose of the IAT? How exactly does the IAT measure implicit
attitudes?
6. What is an implicit stereotype? In what ways do you think implicit
stereotypes can guide interaction with others and behavior toward them?
Provide a specific example.