Stereotypes: Why We Do It

AUTHOR: Anne Murphy Paul

PUBLICATION NAME: Psychology Today

DATE OF PUBLICATION: May 01, 1998. Last reviewed: August 01, 2009

SUMMARY: This article is basically about how and why people stereotype. Researchers who studied stereotyping asked people about how they felt towards a certain race or minority group. Because of this, "psychologists now understand that these conscious replies are only half the story. How progressive a person seems to be on the surface bears little or no relation to how prejudiced he or she is on an unconscious level[...]" Another experiment was conducted- how quickly people respond when a positive word was paired with a white name, and a negative word paired with a black name. "Because our minds are more accustomed to making these associations, says Banaji, they process them more rapidly. Though the words and names aren't subliminal, they are presented so quickly that a subject's ability to make deliberate choices is diminished--allowing his or her underlying assumptions to show through. The same technique can be used to measure stereotypes about many different social groups, such as homosexuals, women, and the elderly." (huge quote!) Studies also show that we are too vulnerable to society's judgments about people/minorities/races-- thus making us stereotype. "Without it (stereotypes), we wouldn't survive. Stereotypes changes the field of psychology because it shows how the mind is easily influenced by anything we see or hear. This research doesn't counter existing history, since stereotypes have lived for many centuries. We should care about stereotypes, because, although stereotypes make life "easier," they are also incorrect (at times). For example, not every Asian is smart nor every African American does drugs. Despite it being a "mental shortcut," we should break the stereotype- although it would be very difficult. Stereotypes downgrade (more than upgrade) a person, a race, minority or religion- which is morally wrong. (Idk an alternative word for morally wrong..)

LINKS TO STUDY:

ARTICLE: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199805/where-bias-begins-the-truth-about-stereotypes

SUBMITTED BY: Kristine Vu