DP Psychology Human Relationships Cooperation and Prejudice Guiding Questions

DiAfricans: Please read about Prejudice from InThinking and answer the guiding questions below.
1. What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination?

2. How are cognitive biases in thinking and decision-making related to prejudice?

a. Availability heuristic
- Decisions are based on the most available information

b. Confirmation bias
- People tend to look for information that confirms their stereotypes

3. Please complete the table below about sociocultural origins of prejudice

Origin (what Supporting Aim, Procedure Results Evaluation of
causes Research research
prejudice?)

Social identity Fein & Aim: To look at the effects If the description of Strengths:
theory: low Spencer of SIT the actor sounded
self-esteem causes (1997) Method: gay and the
discrimination - study(61 male participants were in Limitations:
undergraduate the below averge
students) group they then
- Given fake rated the actor
feedback on an IQ negatively and
test stereitypically
- 2 conditions(1
condition top 10% If the actor was
of close, 1 described as
condition below straight there was
average) no difference
- The participants between rating in
were then asked each condition
to read a
description and Lowering self
then rate an esteem=discriminati
image of a young on
actor

Sociocultural Rogers & Aim: Test the hypothesis - The majority Strengths:
approach: humans Frantz (1962) that in Zimbabwe the of - Generalizab
are social beings attitudes of European europeans le
with a fundamental settlers about Africans favored
need to belong would be correlated to the keeping Limitations:
amount of time they had things as is - Not
- Normative lived in the - Europeans longitudinal(
influence country(longer=more that least can’t
racist) favored the determine if
status quo attitudes
- 500 white had lived changed
europeans(20+) there for 5 over time)
living in zimbabwe years or - Other
 for 5-40+ years fewer factors play
- Survey consisting a role in
of 66 discriminatio
laws/customs n aginst the
were white out group
Europeans and and its
Africans were difficult to
treated differently isolate
- 4 choices these
(0=important to factors
keep system, 4= - Participants
important to stop may act
system) more
authentic in
a real
situation
rather than
a survey

Integrated threat McLaren - Carried out in 17 - Beliefs that Strengths:

theory by (2003) European immigrants
Stephan et al countries challenge
(1998)\ national Limitations:
1. Stereotyping values were
- Expectation stronger
s about than a
out-group realistic
that lead to threat
prejudice - Perceived
2. Realistic threats threat>realis
- Economic tic threat
resources:
Jobs
3. Perceived
threats
- cultural/
religious

4. Please complete the table below about biological origins of prejudice

Origin (what Supporting Aim, Procedure Results Evaluation of research
causes Research
prejudice?)

Amygdala Hart et al. fMRI -More amygdala activity Strengths:

plays (2000) Aim: amygdala responses when looking at out
important role when participants were group pictures
in social shown faces of a member of Limitations:
cognition their racial ingroup and out -Participants showed
group no noticeable
 - 8 white + 8 black difference in emotional
participants(both reactions
sexes)
- The participants had
to press a button
indicating whether
the face was male or
female
- After they were
asked to describe
the pictures+any
feelings attached to
them

Phelps et fMRI -Correlation between Strengths:

al (2000) Aim: to study neural
correlates of unconscious
devaluation of black and
white faces
(familiar+unfamiliar)
those with strongly
activated amygdalas
when reacting to black Limitations:
faces and scores of the
prejudice test

- White American - Looking at faces

participants from racial
- Shown faces of outgroup can
balck+white males activate
- They participated in amygdala
a test for ethnic differently
prejudice(implicit (unconscious
association test) social
evaluation)

Harris and Aim: observe the role of the -Found that there was a Strengths:
Fiske prefrontal cortex and difference in brain - Replicable:
(2006) amygdala when confronted activity when people could be
with extrem out-groups rated homeless people reliable
(addicts and homeless) or addicts - fMRI
-reactions connected to - Supports SIT
- 22 princeton disgust also occurred
undergraduates (2 -Insula was activated
groups/ group which is response to Limitations:
1:images of people garbage objects - Not
group 2: images of -Part of brain that representative/
objects) reacts to people was not
- Control practice: not activated generalizable
before going into - SIT may be too - Correlational
scanner participants simple, other - Could be seen
practiced using a factors may play as reductionist
computer to rate a a role
series of objects for
each of the 4
emotions(prinde,
envy, pity, disgust)
- In fMRI they were
shown 6 sets of 10
photos (rich
businessman,
dissabled, ol,
athletic, and
homeless)
- Participants after
seeing each photo
rated which emotion
they connected to
each photo