An example of a stereotype is the negative belief that all older adults are slow and incompetent. Even though many individual older adults may in fact be spry and intelligent, this negative belief is overgeneralized and applied to all members of the older adult group.

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A stereotype is a specific belief or assumption about individuals based solely on their membership in a group, regardless of their individual characteristics. Stereotypes are generally well-known within a given culture and often become overgeneralized and applied to all members of a group.

Stereotype

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

We often make predictions based on how much a description fits our preconceived stereotypes. This leads to ignoring base rates (base rate neglect) and the accuracy of the description.

Representative heuristic

Example of Stereotype: Older Adults

A well-known stereotype involves beliefs about racial differences in athletics. For example, Black athletes are often stereotyped as being more athletic yet less intelligent than White athletes, and these beliefs persist despite many high-profile examples to the contrary. Such stereotypes can negatively influence how these athletes are treated by others and how they view their own capabilities.

Stereotypes in Sports

Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on their membership in a particular group. It often begins in the form of a stereotype and can lead to overgeneralized negative beliefs applied to all members of that group, regardless of their individual characteristics.

Prejudice

Discrimination is a negative action or behavior toward an individual as a result of their membership in a particular group. It often arises when people act on their negative beliefs (stereotypes) and negative attitudes (prejudice), leading to the poor treatment of the target group as a form of oppression.

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