How Can We Reduce Intergroup Bias Why Do
How Can We Reduce Intergroup Bias?
Why Do We Have Prejudices and Stereotypes? Cognition Stereotyping and categoriztaion normal and inevitable byproducts of how people think about themselves and others Motivation People are motivated to maintain power, status, and control and to meet their ideals and aspirations, both materially and symbolically: material gain and self-enhancement are basic motivational processes underlying prejudice
Cognition (Fiske, 2005) • Categorization is immediate (automatic) and pervasive (confusing members of the same category with each other) - Implicit Association Test: people more rapidly associate positive terms with higher status groups and more negative terms with lowerstatus groups (www. projectimplicit. net) - Salience: categories highlight people who do not fit with the majority (solo or token) and they are especially categorized among that dimension and are perceived in stereotypic ways
Cognition • The consequences of categorization: - perception of group homogenity („they are all alike” - different attributions (outgroup failure to inherent, dispostional features, their success to luck, while the opposite logic used in the case of the ingroup) - memory operates with a stereotypematching way under many conditions
Motivations • Identity (Tajfel and Turner, 1986; Brewer, 1991) : Much intergroup discrimination arises not from hostility toward outgroup members, but from identification with one’s ingroup, which fosters preferential treatment of ingroup members • Competition controlling perceived threats to the ingroup (Fiske et al. , 1999): • Justification of existing hierarchy between social groups (Jost and Banaji, 1994): Prejudice propagated by those who stand to win the most advantage, but in stable systems accepted by those who are disadvantaged by them as well
Reducing Bias (1) Stereotype control (2) Categorization and contact (3) Multicultural education (4) Moral, human rights education (5) Critical thinking
(1) Controlled Stereotypes Devine (1989): two-process dissociation modell (1) stereotype activation: automatic and inevitable (2) stereotype application: deliberate and controlled, an inhibition of the automatically activated and activation of personal beliefs that are counter to the stereotype individual differences: personal beliefs low prejudiced persons are motivated to correct and adjust judgments for the impact of activated stereotypes
• If people are aware of bias, motivated to be nonbiased, and are furnished with cognitive resources to carry out the required mental work, they can remove the impact of activated stereotypes from final judgments • Moskowitz et al. (1999): Chronic egalitarians: the egalitarian goal is habitualized and lead to stereotype control that is of a preventative nature. The goal of being egalitarian would operate pre-consciously – it need not require awareness or effort.
(2) Categorization If categorization is the basis of prejudice, changing the way of categorization held great promise for reducing prejudice. • Decategorization: eliminating social categorization to perceive themselves and others as separate individuals • Intergroup differentiation: redefining the context in which categorization occurs to change the tone from mutually threatening to trustful (highlighting the potentially complementary skills, e. g. production and marketing groups)
• Recategorization: fostering superordinate group categorization that can replace original ingroup-outgroup categorizations ingroup becomes more broadly defined (which may include subgroups) „us” and „them” „we”
Intergroup Contact (Allport, 1954) • Often reducing but sometimes enlarging prejudice • Reduced prejudice will result when four positive features of the contact situation are present: - equal status between the groups - common goals - intergroup cooperation - the support of authorities, law, or custom Aronson „jigsaw” classrooms: equal status in the situation, common goals, intergroup cooperation, support of the teacher
Pettigrew and Tropp (2005) • Greater level of intergroup contact were typically associated with lower levels of prejudice, the relationship varied depending on the specific groups involved
(3) Multicultural Education The Multicultural Dilemma: Respect the „other” and/or include the „other” into the category of „us”? • Focusing on outcome variables like stress, selfesteem, and psychosomatic indices, integration is usually the acculturation strategy with the most beneficial outcomes for minority members, and marginalization has the worst outcomes the main assumption behind multicultural education • Interactive Acculturation Model (Bourhis et al. 1997): a preference for assimilation might be similarly advantageous if there is concordance between the two groups about the strategy of choice, a good „fit” results in less conflictual intergroup relations
Multicultural programs • Learning about other ethnic, cultural, and religious groups; presenting history from the perspective of minority groups • Learning about the experiences of minority groups and about systems of inequality • Learning about basic intergroup relations concepts such as prejudice, stereotypes and racism
Reducing Conflicts • Intergroup dialogues: the goals of these programs range from solving specific conflict to improving ongoing relations among members of groups with a history of negative relations • Learning conflict resolution techniques (mediation, negotiation, and third-party consultation)
(4) Moral, human rights education • These programs try to improve intergroup relations indirectly through their emphasis on justice, human rights and egalitarianism • High levels of moral development are linked with low levels of prejudice and acceptance of outgroups
(4) Critical Thinking Duckitt (2005): „Neither authorianism nor (…) social dominance orientation are related to indices of psychopathology; rather they are better conceived indvidual differences in people’s belief in social and political attitudes or ideologies (…) scapegoat movements are often grouplevel phenomena, coordinated by adherence to a socially validated ideology”
How should we respond when someone we are speaking with says something based on stereotypes? (1) Point out alternative explanations for behavior Stereotype: „Those Malaysian students think they are better than everyone else; they only associate with each other” Response: „If I were in another country I might feel more comfortable staying with others from my group”
(2) Explain that individuals who are more visible may be atypical Stereotype: „There’s Mike, the head of the Gay Student Association. Those people sure look outrageous” Response: „Mike’s appearance may be rather unusual, but most gay and lesbian students look no different from anyone else”
(3) Be a cultural interpreter Stereotype: „ What is it with those people? I try to be nice to them, but they just won’t look me in the eye” Response: „I think Ramon and Celia are trying to be nice as well. In Filipino culture, many people think it is rude to have direct eye contact”
(4) Point out within-group differences Stereotype: „That’s the new Arabic teacher. I guess he’s from Iran or Iraq” Response: There at least 22 countries that are considered part of the Arab world. Not only that, but people in many other parts of the world speak Arabic languages as well”
(5) Point out similarities across groups Stereotypes: „Those people play their music so loudly” Response: „Sometimes people get carried away when there’s a party. Did you hear the noise coming from our dormitory last night? ”
(6) Indicate when conclusion are based on limited experience Stereotype: „I am tired of older people. They are always so frail and needy” Response: „Maybe that’s because you have contact with older people in your job at the hospital. Most older people are much more active and independent”
(7) Point out information that does not support the stereotype Stereotype: „American are so rich. Tony said he traveled all through Europe before he came to school here” Response: „Yes, but he told us he worked for two summers to save money for that trip”
Scenario • Two first-year students are waiting for the third student whom they will share rooms. They have just learned that the other student is African American. They are not African American.
Be a cultural interpreter Stereotype: „Did you hear that our new suite -mate is Black? Wow, it must be something to grow up in the ghetto”
Indicate when conclusions are based on limited experience Stereotype: „I bet he’s an athlete”
Explain that individuals who are more visible may be atypical and/or point out wihtingroup differences Stereotype: „There was one Black guy un my high school who was an amaizing athlete!”
Point out alternative explanations for behavior and/or point out information that does not support the stereotype Stereotype: „He didn’t show up for the orientation session. I guess he’s not very serious about college. ”
Point out similarities across groups Stereotype: „I just hope three of us can get along. It could be rough”
- Slides: 30