week 3

Question 1

What are the three types of self-aspects?

Answer 1

Personal (unique traits), Relational (specific relationships), Collective (group membership).

Question 2

What is the interpersonal–intergroup continuum?

Answer 2

A spectrum from personal self-aspects (interpersonal) to collective self-aspects (intergroup), influencing thought, feeling, and behaviour.

It’s how we act, like spending time with a friend (interpersonal) vs. cheering for the canucks(inter group)

It’s also how we se people- laughing with a coworker vs coaching them as a manager

Question 3

What is social categorization?

Answer 3

The automatic process of placing ourselves and others into categories based on shared characteristics.

Question 4

What are the benefits of categorization?

Answer 4

Simplifies decision-making, aids learning, and helps predict behaviour.

Question 5

What are the consequences of social categorization?

Answer 5

Depersonalization, within-group homogeneity, and accentuation of group differences.

Depersonalization
• ✅ Helps when:
• Creates unity and shared purpose
• Makes cooperation and coordination easier
• ⚠️ Hurts when:
• Suppresses individuality and critical thinking
• Leads to conformity or “groupthink”

⸻

Within-group homogeneity
• ✅ Helps when:
• Fosters belonging and predictability
• Strengthens trust and group cohesion
• ⚠️ Hurts when:
• Excludes or marginalizes members who don’t fit the norm
• Overlooks diversity within the group

⸻

Accentuation of group differences
• ✅ Helps when:
• Clarifies group identity and purpose
• Motivates loyalty and collective action
• ⚠️ Hurts when:
• Fuels stereotypes and intergroup conflict
• Exaggerates “us vs. them” thinking

Question 6

What is depersonalization?

Answer 6

Seeing group members as interchangeable representatives of a category. Co sequence of self categorization

A process in social identity theory that strengthens ingroup identity.

Example: A fan at a game acting as “part of the crowd” rather than as an individual.

Question 7

What is within-group homogeneity?

Answer 7

Perceiving more similarity among members of the same group.

Question 8

What is accentuation of group differences?

Answer 8

Exaggerating differences between groups to simplify categorization.

Question 9

What makes human groups psychologically meaningful?

Answer 9

They provide “we-ness,” inclusion, confidence, and are recognized by both members and non-members.

Question 10

What is self-categorization?

Answer 10

Categorizing oneself into a group, turning it into an ingroup.

Question 11

What factors increase group identification?

Answer 11

Salience, centrality, shared values, personal meaning, and positive self-evaluation.

Question 12

What is self-stereotyping?

Answer 12

Adopting group traits as part of one’s self-concept, especially when group identification is high.

Question 13

What is the “old” view of stereotypes?

Answer 13

They are inaccurate, flawed, and undesirable.

Question 14

What is the “new” view of stereotypes?

Answer 14

Socially shared beliefs formed through normal cognitive processes; can be positive, neutral, or negative.

Question 15

What are self-stereotypes?

Answer 15

Stereotypes held by the ingroup and applied to oneself.

Question 16

How can stereotypes be functional?

Answer 16

They simplify the social world, provide meaning, and guide behavior in uncertain situations.

Question 17

When are stereotypes most likely to be functional?

Answer 17

When they’re accurate, shared by the target group, and positively or neutrally evaluated.

Question 18

How can stereotypes aid cultural sensitivity?

Answer 18

They help recognize meaningful group differences and navigate cross-cultural interactions respectfully.

Question 19

What are some reasons stereotypes go wrong?

Answer 19

• Block individuating info ( depersonalization/within-group homogeneity and Confirmation bias)
• Inaccurate content not shared by the target group (accentuation of group differences and automatic stereotyping)
  -inaccurate and negative
• Justify oppression/privilege (motivated stereotyping)
• Self-perpetuating through behaviour- SFP

Question 20

What is confirmation bias?

Answer 20

Seeking and interpreting information that confirms existing beliefs.

Question 21

What is motivated stereotyping?

Answer 21

Using stereotypes to justify inequality, past harm, or group privilege.

Question 22

What is an example of motivated stereotyping after harm?

Answer 22

American opinions of Iraqis worsened after conflict to justify harm.

Question 23

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy in intergroup interactions?

Answer 23

Treating someone based on a stereotype undermines their performance, reinforcing the stereotype.

Question 24

What are the 4 steps of a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Answer 24

• Intergroup interaction
• Stereotype-based treatment
• Undermined ability
• Stereotype-consistent behavior

Question 25

What did Word et al. job study (1974, Study 1) find?

Answer 25

White interviewers treated Black applicants with less immediacy and gave shorter interviews.

Question 26

What did Word et al. job study (1974, Study 2) find?

Answer 26

White applicants treated like Black applicants made more speech errors and performed worse.

Question 27

Stereotype Threat

Answer 27

Anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype impairs performance on stereotype-relevant tasks.

Question 28

What are the conditions for stereotype threat to occur?

Answer 28

Salient group identity * Salient stereotype * Domain identification * Task difficulty

Question 29

What did Steele & Aronson (1995) find in a study testing the performance of black and white students?

Answer 29

Black students performed worse when told the test was diagnostic of intelligence; equal performance in stereotype-safe condition.

Question 30

What did Inzlicht & Ben-Zeev (2000) find in the math test study?

Answer 30

Women performed worse on math tests when gender was salient; better in same-sex settings.

Question 31

How is stereotype threat different from self-fulfilling prophecy?

Answer 31

In stereotype threat, the target feels pressure from the stereotype; in self-fulfilling prophecy, the perceiver’s behavior reinforces it.

Question 32

What domains can stereotype threat affect beyond tests?

Answer 32

Athletic ability, entrepreneurial intentions, social sensitivity, and policing behavior.

Question 33

How can stereotype threat be offset?

Answer 33

By activating positive stereotypes or teaching individuals about stereotype threat to reduce anxiety.

Question 34

What did Johns, Schmader & Martens (2005) find in a stereotype threat study?

Answer 34

Teaching participants about stereotype threat helped them rationalize anxiety and perform better on math tests.

Question 35

What is an example of using one stereotype to offset another?

Answer 35

Asian women primed with Asian identity performed better in math; primed with female identity performed worse.

Question 36

What’s an example of intergroup behavior in a stadium

Answer 36

Cheering, booing, and wearing team jerseys — actions driven by group identity, not individual motivation.

Question 37

What’s the difference between salience and centrality in group identity?

Answer 37

Salience = relevant in the moment; Centrality = deeply tied to your self-concept.

Question 38

Why does centrality matter for group identification?

Answer 38

The more central a group is to your identity, the more strongly you identify with it and adopt its values.

Question 39

When are stereotypes most likely to be functional?

Answer 39

When they’re accurate, shared by the target group, and positively or neutrally evaluated.

Question 40

What makes stereotypes dysfunctional?

Answer 40

When they block individuating info, are inaccurate, negative, or used to justify inequality.

Question 41

How can stereotypes aid cultural sensitivity?

Answer 41

By helping us recognize meaningful group differences and navigate cross-cultural interactions respectfully.

Question 42

Who holds the stereotype in stereotype threat vs. self-fulfilling prophecy?

Answer 42

Stereotype threat: the target is aware of the stereotype. Self-fulfilling prophecy: the perceiver holds the stereotype and treats the target accordingly.

Question 43

What’s the key difference in the mechanism for SFP and ST?

Answer 43

Stereotype threat affects performance through internal anxiety; self-fulfilling prophecy affects performance through external treatment.

Question 44

What was the independent variable in Steele & Aronson (1995) when testing the performance of black and white students?

Answer 44

Whether the test was described as diagnostic of intelligence (stereotype threat) or not (safe condition).

Question 45

What was the dependent variable in Word et al. (1974, Study 2) job applicant study?

Answer 45

Applicant speech errors and overall performance.

Question 46

What did Inzlicht & Ben-Zeev (2000) manipulate to activate stereotype threat in the math test study?

Answer 46

Gender salience — whether participants were in same-sex or minority-gender testing rooms.

Question 47

What is motivated stereotyping?

Answer 47

Using stereotypes to justify inequality, past harm, or group privilege — often consciously.

Question 48

Why do people stereotype groups they’ve harmed?

Answer 48

To reduce guilt and rationalize the harm — e.g., Americans stereotyping Iraqis post-conflict.

Question 49

How do stereotypes reinforce privilege?

Answer 49

By portraying high-status groups as competent and moral, and low-status groups as incompetent or immoral.

Question 50

Why do we exaggerate differences between groups that significantly overlap?

Answer 50

Because overlapping groups require more cognitive effort to categorize, we exaggerate their differences to simplify categorization and reduce mental load.

Question 51

What is an ingroup, and what does it mean to identify with one?

Answer 51

An ingroup is any group we belong to, contrasted with an outgroup. Identifying with an ingroup means feeling a sense of belonging and shared values, which helps us navigate situations through salience and fulfills our need to belong.