Direct and Indirect Measurements of Stereotypes
Analyzing the use of Direct and Indirect Measurements of Stereotypical Behaviors
In the direct measurement of stereotypes, such as the free response, scientists must ask if it is a reliable measurement of stereotypes. Many people may answer a free question regarding a particular group, but answers may be given to the tester of what the tested may what the tester to hear. For example, if a behavioral scientist were to ask a student his or hers feelings regarding African Americans, the student may state what is perceived as the ‘right’ answer at the time, so the scientist does not project the student as a bigot, racist, discriminatory or stereotypic. Therefore, according to David J. Schneider (2004), “free responses are not ideal measures” (35). In another explanation with free response measurements, educated college students may experience direct associations with groups, thus being less stereotypical or will not produce stereotypic answers because of the understanding of cultural differences or denying negative feelings of stereotypes, i.e. believing that “African Americans […] get more than they deserve and deny individual responsibility rather than negative qualities per se” (as cited in Schneider, 2004, p35). However, in situations such as the above aforementioned, analysis on stereotypical behaviors is difficult to measure without falsifying or manipulating data.
Another example in the Katz and Braly (1933) study of direct measure is the use of cultural experiences of certain group types. However, being suggestive, is this plausibly a direct measure of stereotypes? If the author was given a survey asking if Asian males were 1. Smart in mathematics; 2. Short 3. Pushy, 4...
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... took approximately six months, but shows that explicit measure, according to Schneider (2004), “is more prone to recall information that is associated with the stereotype” (p. 60), and thus “can be taken as measures of existence of stereotypes” (Schneider, 2004, p. 60), which the subject revealed – and the original reason for the direct association with the subject and study by the author.
References
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Monteith, M. J., & Spicer, C.V. (2000). Contents and Correlates of Whites' and Blacks' Racial Attitudes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 36, 125-154.
Schneider, D. J. (2004). The Psychology of Stereotyping. New York: The Guilford Press.
perpetuate in different social groups. Stereotype threat, as defined by Steele, is “being at risk of
The author provides several examples of survey results that illustrate this. For example, while a majority of whites wanted separate schooling, transportation, etc. for blacks, less than 25 percent of whites wanted that in the 1970s. Also since 1940, the number of whites who believe and act on the stereotypes of blacks has decreased significantly (though, it is still high, ranging anywhere from 20-50 percent). Bonilla-Silva provides four trends in which these changes in racial attitudes have changed: racial optimists, racial pesoptimists, symbolic racism and sense of group
Explicit Racial Attitude. No main effects or significant two way or three way interactions in the explicit anti-black racial attitude of a participant were observed. A significant interaction was observed between the victim impact statements and the race of the victims on the pro-black explicit racial attitude with F(1,107) = 4.916, p = 0.029. Wi...
Stereotypes are everywhere and can often create problems for people, however they become even more detrimental to teens, especially at schools. Writer and science correspondent for the NRA, Shankar Vedantam, in his article, “How a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down Performance,” explains that stereotypes can hurt the performance of the person that it is associated with. He supports his claim by first explaining that how well people do on tests are determined by who administers the questions, then he explains that studies show that when people take tests and they are reminded of negative stereotypes that associate with them, then they don’t do as well, and finally he states that the studies are being widely ignored by all the people who should take heed of the findings, such as test makers and college acceptance people. Vedantam’s purpose is to tell you about the research conducted by Huang in order to inform you that stereotypes can affect performance on tests. In my 9th grade class at Point Loma High School, we were given questions about stereotypes from our teacher to interview two students.
The method primarily used throughout research was the Implicit Association Test (IAT). This test is a measure used in the study of social psychology that is used to predict a person’s first association between different mental representations in one’s memory. In these particular studies the IAT is used to detect one’s behaviors, judgements, and decisions suggestive of ethnic and racial discrimination (Oswald, Mitchell, Blanton, Jaccard, & Tetlock, 2007). This test is usually done through technology. In the race IAT, participants would sit in front of the computer and be shown a variety of black faces and white faces. They were also told that one button on the keyboard is associated with the word “old” (negative),
The term “stereotype” originally referred to a stamp used in the printing industry to make multiple copies from one single block. The first one to adopt this notion, to describe the way society categorized people, was social psychologist Walter Lippmann in 1922, in his book on media democracy, Public Opinion. He described the term as “the picture (of the world) that a person has in his/her head”. He was convinced that a picture it is definite, and reduces the world to simple characteristics which are represented as permanent by nature (Lippmann, 1997 [1922], p. 233).
A stereotype can have multiple meanings, but one of the most prevailing definitions is that it assumes that groups are representable through a consolidated
The IAT test follows chapter 13 in the realms of stereotyping, self-fulfilling prophecies, and dispositional attributions. Each assessment forced me to categorize words and symbols, following the definition of stereotyping (categorizing people). Along th...
“Two dangers arise when in-group members have little exposure to out-groups members or knowledge of out-group history” (Ramirez-Berg pg. 18). One is that history can be replaced by other group’s experience. Two is the stereotypical image can be taken as normal or even natural. The five functions of stereotyping that are developed and passed on to others. The first two are focused on a personal level. One is cognitive function of the environment. Two is motivational function protecting values. “The remaining three are at group level, where stereotypes contribute to the creation and maintenance of group beliefs which are then used…” (Ramirez-Berg pg. 28). Three is explaining in a large-scale social event. Four is to justify action. Five is to differentiate in and out
Many often justify discrimination through the means of statistical evidence, claiming that groups that are stigmatized deserve their treatment by citing negative attributes about them. However, this paradox is frequently unresolved to even those who realize the fallacy in discrimination. Several researchers in social psychology, including Galen V. Bodenhausen and Jennifer A. Richeson, have offered potential reasons behind this happening; “It should come as no surprise that individuals’ attitudes and stereotypical beliefs affect the way intergroup interactions unfold. Indeed, individuals who harbor negative stereotypes about the group membership of their interaction partners often display behavior that conforms to their stereotypical beliefs”(Bodenhausen & Richeson, 361). This shows how those discriminated against are likely to adapt to their societal status, and thus often behave according to their respective stereotypes. From this, one can begin to infer that this paradox is a reinforcing cycle, and that prejudice forms as a result of discrimination. Building upon this trend, in the final chapters of the text, a Peters reflects on the trends and results derived from Jane’s exercises, and how it related to the act of discrimination itself; “But even more pernicious, [the exercise] also illustrates how the results of discrimination tend
The first characteristic of stereotyping is over-generalisation. A number of studies conducted found that different combinations of traits were associated with groups of different ethnic and national origin (Katz and Braly, 1933). However, stereotyping does not imply that all members of a group are judged in these ways, just that a typical member of a group can be categorised in such judgements, that they possess the characteristics of the group. Still, when we talk of a group, we do so by imagining a member of that group.
Prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping are important topics at the cause of debating within social psychology. A stereotype is a generalization about a group of people, in which certain traits cling to all members, regardless of actual individual variation (Akert, Aronson, & Wilson, 2010). As humans, people assign objects and individuals into categories to organize the environment. Individuals do this for not only organization, but also survival. Is stereotyping inevitable? That is the question; according to Devine (2007), it is, but Lepore and Brown (2007) have to disagree. Devine believes that “stereotyping is automatic, which makes it inevitable.” On the other hand, Lepore and Brown are not convinced that stereotyping is automatic, and have claimed, after observation, that it depends on the individual.
“Stereotypes unreliable, exaggerated generalizations about all members of a group that do not take individual differences into account” (Schaefer 40). Stereotypes can be positive, but are usually associated with negative beliefs or actions such as racial profiling.
Numerous research and investigations were conducted on the topic of stereotype threat. In the articles connected to this paper, experiments were performed to see how stereotype threat affected test results. During tests some participants were exposed to variables that activated a negative stereotype while others were not. Those exposed to the negative stereotype had lower results. Therefore stereotype threat resulted in weaker performance. It is proven the threat exists but so...
Race, Racism and Discrimination: Bridging Problems, Methods and Theory in Social Psychological Research Bobo, Lawrence D. Fox, Cybelle http://www.jstor.org/stable/1519832