Prejudice toward a person or group that the individual holds with conscious awareness. 

Explicit Prejudice

Discrimination is defined as an action or behavior towards an individual that results from their membership in a particular group. While typically discussed as a negative and oppressive act, such as exclusion, discrimination can also manifest positively through preferential treatment for individuals who are part of one's own group.

Discrimination in Social Psychology

Spreading deceptive and/or inaccurate information against female public figures such as political leaders and journalists to undermine their participation in public life. This is often supported by storylines that are based on misogyny and gender stereotypes around the roles of women. 

Gendered Disinformation 

The contact hypothesis suggests that prejudice between different groups can be reduced through positive intergroup contact. This includes not only direct interactions and building relationships but also educational efforts. The positive effects can even be achieved through imagined social interactions with members of other groups.

Contact Hypothesis

Simply imagining interacting positively with members of a different cultural group can affect prejudice. This imagined social interaction can increase positive attitudes and traits associated with the other group, while also reducing the anxiety associated with inter-group interactions.

Reducing Prejudice through Imagined Social Interaction

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.

Discrimination

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.

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General evaluations of people, groups, objects, concepts, or issues that last over time. They can range from positive to negative.

Attitudes in Social Psychology

A social group in social psychology is a board term that can include gender, nationality, social class, race, religion, sexual orientation, and many other. An individual can be a member of many social groups and is not confined in one. 

Social Group

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

Gilovich, T., Keltner, D., Chen, S., &amp; Nisbett, R. E. (2019). Social psychology. W. w. Norton &amp; Company. 

Social Psychology

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). APA Dictionary of Psychology. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/ 

APA Dictionary of Psychology

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

Behavior that is inconsistent with an attitude. For example, having a negative attitude toward a news anchor but continuing to watch their news is considered counterattitudinal behavior. 

Counterattitudinal Behavior

Behavior that is consistent with an attitude. For example, having a positive attitude towards a news anchor and continuing to watch their news is considered proattitudinal behavior. 

Proattitudinal Behavior 

The extent to which behavior toward an attitude object is consistent with the attitude associated with that object. Positive attitudes are associated with approach behaviors; negative attitudes are associated with withdrawal behaviors.

Attitude-behavior Consistency 

Any target of judgment that has an attitude associated with it. Attitude objects may be people, social groups, policy positions, abstract concepts, or physical objects.

Attitude Object

An individual’s positive psychological state of development.

Psychological Capital

Prejudice

An in-group is any social group with which an individual identifies and feels a sense of belonging and emotional connection. Membership in these groups serves as a significant source of personal identity and self-esteem.

The In-Group

A group that one does not identify with or belong to. 

The Outgroup

Which of the following best describes a social group in social psychology?

Which of the following statements is true about social groups in social psychology?

Which of the following is an example of a social group in social psychology?

Which of the following characteristics can define a social group in social psychology?

An out-group is a social group to which an individual does not belong and which they perceive as being fundamentally different from their own group(s).

The Out-Group

While stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination typically involve negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, people can also hold positive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward individuals based on group membership. This can manifest as preferential treatment for people who are similar to themselves, such as sharing the same gender, race, or favorite sports team.

Positive Attitudes and Behaviors Based on Group Membership

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

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.

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.

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