Psychology 4e by Saul Kassin CHAPTER 14 Social

Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin CHAPTER 14: Social and Cultural Groups

Social and Cultural Groups Cross-Cultural Perspectives Multicultural Perspectives Intergroup Discrimination Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Cultural Diversity: A Fact of Life Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Individualism and Collectivism: A Tale of Two Cultural Worldviews § Individualism l A cultural orientation in which personal goals and preferences take priority over group allegiances § Collectivism l A cultural orientation in which cooperation and group harmony take priority over purely personal goals Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Individualism and Collectivism § People from individualistic cultures see themselves as individualistic and distinct from others (top). § People in collectivist cultures see themselves as interdependent, part of a larger social network (bottom). Self-conceptions Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Individualism and Collectivism Self-Conceptions: Uniqueness or Conformity? § Which subfigure within each set do you prefer? § U. S. Americans like those that “stand out” as unique. § Koreans like those that “fit in” with the group. Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Individualism and Collectivism § Bilingual students in Hong Kong completed “I am ___” sentences in English or Chinese. § Students responding in English focused more on personal traits. § Students responding in Chinese focused more on group affiliations. Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Multicultural Perspectives Acculturation and Ethnic Identity § Acculturation l The process by which individuals are changed by their immersion in a new culture § Ethnic Identity l The part of a person’s identity that is defined by an ethnic heritage, language, history, customs, and so on § Acculturative Stress l The stress and mental-health problems often found in immigrants trying to adjust to a new culture Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Multicultural Perspectives Acculturation and Ethnic Identity Acculturation Strategies Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Multicultural Perspectives Acculturation and Ethnic Identity Cultural Identity and Acculturative Stress § Hispanic American college students answered questions about Hispanic and American identities and acculturative stress. § Students who embraced both cultures reported less acculturative stress. Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination § Discrimination l Behavior directed against persons because of their affiliation with a social group § Stereotype l A belief that associates a group of people with certain traits Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Stereotypes: The Cognitive Roots § Stereotypes are Formed Via Two Processes l Social Categorization • The classification of persons into groups based on common attributes l Outgroup-Homogeneity Bias • The tendency to assume that “they” (members of groups other than our own) are all alike Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Stereotypes: The Cognitive Roots § Is Stereotyping Inevitable? l l People can bring stereotypes into mind automatically, without awareness, and stereotypes can bias judgments of others. However, people can stop themselves from using stereotypes as a basis of judging others. • By encouraging people to take the perspective of someone from a stereotyped group • By imagining individuals who do not fit the stereotype Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Prejudice: The Motivational Roots § Prejudice Negative feelings toward others based solely on their membership in a certain group l Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Prejudice: The Motivational Roots § Two Major Motivational Theories of Prejudice l Realistic-Conflict Theory • The theory that prejudice stems from intergroup competition for limited resources l Social-Identity Theory • The theory that people favor ingroups and discriminate against outgroups in order to enhance their own self-esteem r This theory helps explain Ingroup Favoritism – The tendency to discriminate in favor of ingroups over outgroups. Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Prejudice: The Motivational Roots Social Identity Theory § Personal identity and social identity both contribute to self-esteem. § Viewing and treating ingroups more favorably than outgroups can boost self-esteem. Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Prejudice: The Motivational Roots Social Identity Theory § Social-identity theory makes two predictions: l l Threats to self-esteem should increase the need to show prejudice Expressions of prejudice should restore one’s self-esteem Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Prejudice: The Motivational Roots Derogation in the Service of Self-Esteem I § Subjects were given positive or negative feedback, then rated a female job applicant they thought was Jewish or Italian. § Subjects with lowered selfesteem, due to negative feedback, rated the Jewish woman lower than the Italian woman. Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Prejudice: The Motivational Roots Derogation in the Service of Self-Esteem II § Subjects given negative feedback who could belittle the Jewish woman showed an increase in self-esteem. Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Racism in America § Racism l l A deep-seated form of prejudice that is based on the color of a person’s skin Difficult to assess Racist acts can be subtle Best strategy is to use indirect questions and measures (e. g. , reaction time, the speed of responses) Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Racism in America The Implicit Association Test (IAT) The IAT detects implicit attitudes about African Americans by the speed it takes to respond to black-bad/white-good pairings compared to black-good/white-bad pairings. Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Racism in America Racial Disparities in Medical Care § Black patients were less likely to receive many types of medical care compared to White patients. § This discrimination occurred regardless of socioeconomic status. Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Racism in America § White and nonwhite people disagree about the degree of racism that still exists. § Professional athletes were surveyed and large differences were found in who believed that black athletes were discriminated against. l l 63% of black athletes 2% of white athletes § See same trend in the U. S. military. Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Racism in America The Treatment § Subjects worked in separate three-person groups. § Groups were brought together for a neutral or a cooperative interaction. § Subjects working on the neutral task showed favoritism in evaluating members of their own group. § Subjects working on the cooperative task showed no favoritism. l “They” became a part of “Us” Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Racism in America The Treatment: The Contact Hypothesis l The proposition that in certain conditions, direct contact between members of rival groups will improve relations § The necessary conditions are: l l The groups should have equal status There should be personal interactions among the individual members The groups should have a common goal that requires cooperation The contact should be supported by social norms Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Intergroup Discrimination Racism in America The Treatment: The Contact Hypothesis § A successful example is the “jigsaw classroom”. § In this model, everyone needs everyone else if the individual and the group as a whole are to succeed. § Compared to schoolchildren in traditional classes, those in jigsaw classrooms: l l l Liked each other more Were more tolerant Liked school more Had higher self-esteem And, test scores improved for minority children Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin

Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin