PREJUDICE

Stereotype

Prejudice

Discrimination

Why are stereotypes inaccurate & prejudice unjustifiable?

A. Your own info is based on limited experience.

B. Are often formed based on isolated publicized situations.

C. Generalizations are by definition not always true.

D. All groups are targets of prejudice.

WHY DOES PREJUDICE OCCUR?

1. Historical Roots

2. Group Conflict Theory

3. Social Learning Theory

4. Social Identity Theory

5. Cognitive Factors (heuristics)

HOW DO WE REDUCE PREJUDICE?

1. Education

2. Increase contact between groups--- desegregation

3. Successful cooperation

ROBBERS CAVE STUDY

Sherif and colleagues (1961)

Rattlers vs. Eagles

---introduced a competitive reward structure

---always gave winners prizes & losers nothing

---after a couple of weeks kids were ready to kill each other

WHAT DID THEY DO TO REDUCE PREJUDICE?

1. Gave sermons on cooperation

2. Common Enemy (introduced a third group)--- only a temporary effect

3. Changed the reward structure to cooperative

a. water loss crisis

b. Camp truck breaks down

**Joint goal must be achieved for this to work

Jean Elliot, “eye of the storm.”

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS STUDY

1. How easily prejudice develops when groups are formed—especially when there is a status differential

2. How easily it is learned—modeled from adults

3. How easily kids supported and justified their prejudices—when they were on top they could easily see how the other kids were inferior

4. How being the minority effects the victims: lower self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, hatred, lower academic performance

*prejudice leads to self-fulfilling prophecies!

Rosenthal & Jacobsen—self-fulfilling prophecies