Stereotypes Are The Psychologi
Although Lippmann (1922) is credited with first using the term 'stereotype' in this context it is perhaps Brown (1995) who offers the most applicable definition w...
The Maintenance Of Stereotypes.
The maintenance of stereotypes. Although the nature of stereotypes are not essentially negative it has been found that stereotypes of out-group members are more l...
Chomsky
Social Cognitive Approach to Studying Racial Stereotyping in the Mass Media Travis L. Dixon, Assistant Professor, Communication Studies Faculty Associate, Institu...
Edu
The study is concerned with the problem of English language learning difficulty for secondary school students in Hong Kong. The concept of difficulty is first exa...
Social Cognition
The Dark Side of Social Cognition: The Availability Heuristic, Self-Fulfilling Prophecies, and Expectancy-Congruent Memory in Relation to Social Stereotyping Thro...
Stereotypes
To adequately investigate the question as to whether stereotypes are the psychological lubricant on intergroup behaviour, several areas need to be considered. In the context of this essay the concept of stereotypes needs to be defined. Although Lippmann (1922) is credited with first using the term ‘stereotype’ in this context it is perhaps Brown (1995) who offers the most applicable definition when he wrote that "to stereotype someone is to attribute to that person some characteristics which are seen to be shared by all or most of his or her fellow group members." (p.83). With this definition in mind this essay will, firstly, in an attempt to address the question make a brief review of some of the research that has been conducted on the formation of stereotypes. Secondly, this essay will move onto examine the function of these stereotypes in the individual, both from the perspective of intergroup conflict and also in intergroup co-operation. Thirdly this essay will also examine the research that has been carried out into the persistence of stereotypes. Because of the vast amount of research that has been conducted in this area, this essay will, as far as possible, concentrate primarily on the more recent research conducted within the last decade. It appears from some of the research (for example Hamilton and Gifford, 1976; Hamilton and Sherman, 1989 and Chapman, 1967) that stereotypes are often derived from an over-awareness of statistically infrequent events. More specifically that if an event occurs infrequently amongst a group then it is remembered more vividly than events which might occur on a more regular basis. In a study carried out by Hamilton and Gifford (1976) they divided their participants into two groups with a disproportionate number of participants in the first group. The participants were then informed of a number of desirable and undesirable behaviours. It was found that despite the fact that members of both groups were just as likely to engage...
