Social Learning and Prejudice: Elliott's Experiment

Study Notes

Jane Elliott's Experiment: Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes

Demonstrates social learning as a source of prejudice.
Aimed to help children understand discrimination through personal experience.
Divided white children by eye color, claiming brown-eyed children were superior.
Prejudice shown to be a learned behavior that can be unlearned.
Stereotypes formed rapidly; children imitated adult behavior.
Emphasized the importance of environment and exposure.

Own-Race Bias

Refers to the tendency to recognize faces more easily from one's own race.
Supported by research examining 271 real court cases, highlighting difficulty in recognizing features of other races.

Prejudice

Defined as a negative preconceived judgment of a group and its members.
Supported by stereotypes; encapsulated by the acronym ABC (Affect, Behavior, Cognition).
Functions as an attitude encompassing feelings, behavior tendencies, and beliefs.

Stereotypes

Generalizations about traits of a group, can be positive or negative.
Even positive stereotypes can create pressure to conform.
Often misaligned with actual behavior, leading individuals to follow expectations.

Impact of Stereotypes

Distort perceptions and influence cognitive biases.
Activation of stereotypes leads to selective perception and confirmation of biases.
Availability heuristic results in focused attention on confirming information.

Discrimination

Defined as unjustified negative behavior towards a group.
Represents actions taken based on prejudice, emphasizing the behavior aspect.

Racism

Encompasses unjustified negative treatment of a racial group.
Institutional discrimination can occur without prejudicial intent.
Studies indicate negative mindsets can influence personal space preferences based on race.

Sexism

Prejudicial attitudes and behaviors directed at a particular sex.
Institutional discrimination may exist even without intentional prejudice.
Harvard study example demonstrates bias in hiring practices based on name gender association.

Dual Attitude System

Individuals can maintain conflicting beliefs about the same subject (implicit vs. explicit attitudes).
Implicit attitudes are automatic and non-conscious; explicit attitudes are conscious and controlled.
The Implicit Association Test reveals these hidden biases.

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Developed by Greenwald, McGhee, and Schwartz in 1998 to measure implicit biases.
Assesses ease of associations between groups and "good" or "bad" concepts.
Stereotype congruent trials reveal a bias where white faces are associated with positive traits.
Highlights the subtlety and pervasiveness of racial stereotypes in cultural contexts.

Implicit Association Test Limitations

Questions whether positive evaluations of one group correlate with negative views of another.
Reflects societal beliefs rather than individual opinions.
Findings may not be rational, often influenced by emotions like shame and guilt.

Description

Explore Jane Elliott's groundbreaking experiment on social learning and racial prejudice through the lens of her Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes activity. This flashcard set examines the dynamics of discrimination, teaching important lessons about empathy and justice among children. Delve into the powerful message of 'If it can be learned, it can be unlearned.'