Social Identity Theory

Social Identity Theory & Stereotypes

Learning OutcomeSC.2.C. Evaluate social identity theory, making reference to relevant studies.

Evaluate

StrengthsLimitationsMake an appraisal by weighing up the strengths and limitations.

Tualatin & Tigard Warm-upFrom what you know about each school, create a list comparing and contrasting the two high schools and their students. Which school do you think comes out ahead?How does this conclusion make you feel?

Social Identity TheoryThe part of ones self-concept based on the knowledge of membership in social groups.Individuals make comparisons between in-groups and out-groups which impact their self-concept. The comparison can result in positive or negative feelings. We generally want to be positive.

Tajfel (1970)Aim: To investigate if grouping would lead to in-group favoritism or out-group discriminationMethod: Arbitrarily placed 64 boys into groups based on their preference of a painting. Participants were brought into a separate room and asked to distribute virtual money to other participants. They were only aware of what group they belonged to.Findings: Most participants awarded more money to participants from their own group (in-group) than the other group (Out-Group).Conclusion: The participants adopted in-group favoritism.Critical Thinking: Ecological Validity? Sample size? Population?

Cialdini (1976)Aim: To Discover if Basking in Reflective Glory (BIRGing) was real.Procedure: Recorded the percentage of college students in 7 psychology courses at different colleges would wear school shirts after football games.Finding: Students were more likely to wear their school apparel the Monday after a win than following a loss. They were also more likely to refer to the team as we after a win and they after a loss.Conclusion: Students display SIT in relation to sports.Critical Thinking: Ecological Validity? Sample Size? Population? Other features?

Evaluation of S.I.TStrengths of S.I.TLimitations of S.I.TShows that conflict between groups does not necessary to lead to discrimination.

Explains how positive distinctiveness occurs for in-groups.

Helps us understand in-group favoritism, conformity to group norms, and stereotypesTajfels research has been criticized for low ecological validity.

Does not fully explain why in-group favoritism may result in violent behavior towards out-groups.

Does not explain why constraints such as poverty could play a bigger role than SIT.

Can Prejudices ever be a good thing?What do the studies about stereotypes and prejudice that Bloom highlights show about their nature? How do they relate with the question of Nature & Nurture?

What argument does Bloom make through his examples of Uncle Toms Cabin and Adam Smith (1000 deaths or your pinky)?In what ways does this relate to the reactions of the Paris shootings earlier this year?

In what ways can stereotypes and prejudice help us in our lives and in what ways can they be detrimental to it?

Learning OutcomeSC.2.D. Explain the formation of stereotypes and their effect on behavior.

What is a Stereotype?A generalization that is made about a group and then applied to individual members of that group. They can be either positive or negative. Explained as a result of schema processing

Formation of StereotypesRead each explanation on the formation of stereotypes and record your response to the theory (strengths and limitations).Explain how stereotypes about Americans would have been created by each theory.Explain which theory you most agree with most.

Theory #1: Social Categorization - Tajfel

Based on his Social Identity Theory, Tajfel argues that humans use Social Categorization to categorize humans based on shared characteristics (race, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation). This creates In-Groups and Out-Groups. Tajfel would argue that stereotypes form because people associate negative traits to the Out-groups and positive traits to the In-Groups. This helps us maintain a positive self-image.

Theory #2: Grain of Truth Hypothesis: Campbell (1967)

Campbell argues that stereotypes have some basis in reality. Specifically, Campbell believes that there are two sources of stereotypes: 1. Our personal experiences and interactions with members of a particular group. 2. Gatekeepers: The media, parents, and other members of our culture.From these experiences, Campbell created the Grain of Truth Hypothesis, which argues that observations about a group will be generalized to the group because observers feel that even one confirmation is enough.

Theory #3: Illusionary Correlations: Hamilton & Gifford (1976)

Hamilton and Gifford argue that stereotypes are the result of Illusionary Correlations. This means that humans see relationships between two variables (women & poor mathematics) even when there is none. Furthermore, Hamilton & Gifford argue that humans use Confirmation Bias to defend their stereotypes. This means that humans look for evidence and examples that defend their beliefs and ignore the evidence and examples that do not fit.

Stereotype Discussion questionsHow do you think stereotypes impact human behavior? Do you think you are impacted by stereotypes (both positive and negative) in your life? Who faces positive and who faces negative stereotypes ?

Can having stereotypes be avoided? Should we care about avoiding stereotypes? Why or why not?

Darley and Gross (1983)(How Our Stereotypes impact our perceptions of others)

Aim: To discover how schemas and stereotypes can impact judgments of others.Method: Researchers showed one of two versions video of a girl to participants. Video 1: The girl was playing in a poor environment (poor stereotype). Video 2: The girl was playing in a wealthy environment (wealthy stereotype). Then they were shown a video of the girl taking an intelligence test and judge the girls likely success in the future. Findings :Those who saw the poor video ranked her as less likely to succeed in life and those who saw the rich video were more likely to rank her as more likely to succeed. Conclusions: Stereotypes about rich and poor children impacted the perception of intelligence.Critical Thinking?

Bargh et Al. (1997)(How knowing about stereotypes about us impact our behavior)Aim: To investigate how being aware of stereotypes may impact the behaviors of individuals.Method: College students performed word scramble activities that primed them either in a rude, polite, or control condition.Participants were told to complete the task and bring it down the hall to meet with a researcher. Upon seeing the researcher, a confederate student would begin a conversation with the researcher, requiring the participant to wait.Finding: Participants who were primed in the rude condition were more likely to intervene in the conversation and did so quicker.Conclusion: Activation of stereotypes can impact the behavior of individuals.Critical Thinking?

Stereotype Reading & DiscussionStereotype Threat: Being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about ones group.

Steele & Aronson (1995)(How knowing about stereotypes about our groups can impact us)Aim: To investigate the impact of stereotype threat on behavior.Method: Had white and black students take a verbal test (GRE).Control Condition: Participants told that the test was a problem solving exercise.Stereotype Condition: Participants told that the test would measure their underlying intellectual abilities. FindingsControl Condition: No difference between black & white studentsStereotype Condition: Black participants performed worse and completed less answers than their white peers.Conclusion: Stereotype Threat can negatively impact the behaviors of those who face them.Critical Thinking?

Stereotype Readings & Discussion QuestionsArticle 1: Stereotype ThreatArticle 2: When Talking About Bias BackfireWho was impacted by stereotype threat?In what ways can knowing about a stereotype about yourself impact your behavior?In what ways can stereotype be avoided? Do you agree with the advice for changing our educational system? Why or why not?What studies stand out to you from this article? Why?In what ways can knowing about a stereotype of others impact behavior?How can we prevent discussions about stereotypes from backfiring?Do you think this trend would spread to issues such as racism?Discussion PrepAs you read, work with a partner to create three discussion questions. Write them all on the flashcard. Circle/Highlight the one you are most interesting in discussing.

Racism and Social CognitionRacism doesnt require the presence of malice, only the presence of bias and ignorance, willful or otherwise.Racism is interpersonal and structural; it is current and historical; it is explicit and implicit; it is articulated and silent.~Charles W. Blow (NY Times Editorialist on 12/3/2014 )

Explain what Blow is communicating about racism in your own words.What does this type of racism look like? Can you think of any examples?Do you agree with Blows statement about racism?How does this relate to social cognition?