Stereotypes:

• It is a generalisation that is made about a group and then attributed to members of that group. Such a generalisation may be either positive or negative.
• Researchers explain stereotyping as a result of schema processing.
• A stereotype can be defined as a SOCIAL PERCEPTION OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN TERMS OF GROUP MEMBERSHIP OR PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES AND ARBITRARY TRAITS
• A stereotype is nothing but a generalisation about a group formed and attributed to members of that group.
• Stereotyping is a form of SOCIAL CATEGORISATION, in which we put people in different groups based on their characteristics
• Stereotyping is an inadvertent result of Schema Processing - Having a collective schema regarding a certain group

Development of Stereotypes

• This can be related to SIT, in which outgroups exist. Tajfel explains that this is a natural cognitive process related to social categorisation we see our out-groups as all having similar traits, a phenomenon known as out-group-homogeneity.
• Schenider also explains that there are two ways stereotypes are formed and develop - INDIRECTLY, as a product of enculturation and society directly, or as a direct result of our own experiences
• Campbell maintains that there are TWO KEY SOURCES OF STEREOTYPES - Personal Experience with Individuals and groups, aswell as gatekeepers (The Media, parents, etc - So personal experiences and enculturation.
• He then explains that Stereotypes always have a basis in some reality (like genshin players not showering lol) - This is known as the grain of truth hypothesis, and following which an individual from a group will always be generalised to that group
• Hamilton and Gifford argue that stereotypes are the result of illusory correlation , or the phenomenon where people see a relationship between two variables even when there isn’t one
• Illusory correlation causes false associations between things like group membership and behaviours. For example - Women being bad at driving - Gender and driving are two completely different factors that have no relationship - Creating a relationship out of something that isn’t there.
• Stereotypes are often supported by CONFIRMATION BIAS, in that we OVERLOOK information that contradicts what we already believe about certain people and groups or information, which is why and how stereotypes still persist

Effects of Stereotypes

• Schema has an effect on behaviour, and since stereotyping is a form of schema processing, it should be pretty self explanatory that stereotyping ALSO impacts behaviour
• Stereotype Threat and Memory Distortion are two things that may happen to behaviour as a result of stereotypes
• Stereotype THREAT is one of the side effects on behaviour that stereotypes have - Which is the phenomenon that WHEN WE ARE IN A SITUATION WHERE THERE IS A THREAT OF BEING JUDGED OR TREATED STEREOTYPICALLY, we fear doing something that would inadvertently conform us to that stereotype
• Steele and Aronson did an experiment that investigated this - They gave a 30 minute verbal test made up of a lot of multiple choice questions. When one group was told it was a genuine test of their verbal abilities, African american participants scored SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER than their European American Peers. However, when another group in their study was presented with the same test, but not telling them that this test was indicative of their ability, the African American participants scored much higher in comparison. They couldn’t be completely sure that racial stereotyping wasn’t the cause of this, so IN THEIR SECOND VERSION OF THEIR EXPERIMENT they sent out a QUESTIONNAIRE, that asked participants to identify their race - And this resulted in those who were asked to identify their race scoring much lower than their peers who were not asked this.