Stereotype Activation Overview

When someone focuses on a person's group membership, their stereotype about that group might become active. This can happen when they are trying to understand the situation or make themselves feel better.

The drive to comprehend or enhance one's self-image can make a stereotype even more likely to be used. These goals can boost the use of the activated stereotype.

The motivation to avoid prejudice can act as a check on stereotype activation and even reverse its application. This means people actively try to avoid using stereotypes when they think it would be unfair.

The first time a goal is triggered in a specific situation, a person might figure out a strategy to achieve that goal. For example, if someone wants to feel good about themselves, they might try to impress others.

A particular situation can lead to a specific goal being triggered automatically, since people often repeat certain behaviors in the same situation. For example, if a student always feels anxious before exams, that anxiety may be triggered automatically when they face an exam.

An active goal can lead to a bunch of smaller goals, or subgoals, that help achieve the main goal. For example, the goal 'be a good student' could lead to subgoals like 'study hard,' 'attend class,' and 'complete assignments.'

If people are trying to avoid prejudice, this can also stop stereotype activation. This happens because they believe that using stereotypes might be viewed as prejudice.

Both controlled, intentional thinking and automatic, unconscious processes can influence how someone acts on their goals. Controlled thinking involves conscious effort and rules, while automatic thinking involves unconscious habits and associations.

The automatic process of applying a stereotype to an individual based solely on their group membership.

The process of using a stereotype based on an individual's group membership, but considering the implications of using the stereotype for the perceiver's goals.

The act of elevating oneself by emphasizing superiority to another person. This often involves invoking a negative stereotype to justify the perceived superiority.

The tendency to attribute disagreements with members of stereotyped out-groups to inherent differences in perspectives rather than individual factors.

A set of potential explanations that are activated during the process of understanding a disagreement, such as 'my thinking was faulty' or 'we have inherently different perspectives'.

The process of evaluating the various potential explanations for a disagreement, considering their implications for the individual's goals and choosing the explanation that best coheres with the information available.

A cognitive model proposing that stereotypes can be applied through two distinct pathways: automatic assimilation and rule-based inference.

The tendency for activated stereotypes to influence judgments about individuals, even those who are not part of the stereotyped group.

When people encounter information that contradicts their existing stereotypes about a group, they might suppress those stereotypes.

Seeing someone act in a way that doesn't align with your stereotype about their group might lead you to think of them as 'different' or 'an exception'.

When our self-esteem is challenged, we might use stereotypes to make ourselves feel better. This can reinforce negative biases.

Praise can lead us to view the person praising us in a positive light, while criticism can make us look down on the critic.

When we have specific, relevant information about a person, we might disregard stereotypes that don't apply to them.

Stereotypes can be activated when we try to understand an individual's behavior, especially if it's unexpected or puzzling.

The goal of understanding someone's actions might lead us to activate stereotypes. This can be influenced by our desire to maintain a positive self-image.

Stereotypes might be disregarded when we have other information about the person that is more relevant to their behavior.

When a person is threatened by failure, they may rely on stereotypes to boost their self-esteem. For example, if someone is worried about failing a test, they might use a stereotype to make themselves feel better, such as telling themselves that people from a certain group aren't good at that subject.

The motivation to avoid prejudice can mean people actively try to prevent themselves from using stereotypes. This can happen if they think using a stereotype might be seen as unfair or prejudiced.

If you are motivated to avoid prejudice, you might not even notice details about someone's group membership, like their race or gender. Your focus on being fair prevents you from seeing these cues.

Sometimes, when someone is trying to be fair, they might still use stereotypes, but then try to correct their thinking afterwards. This is like making a mistake but catching yourself and doing the right thing.

When people are trying to avoid prejudice, they might use controlled thinking, which means they consciously choose not to use stereotypes. This needs mental effort.

Goals can shape how someone acts when they are trying to avoid prejudice. If their goal is to be fair, they might be less likely to rely on stereotypes.

If you want to avoid prejudice, you might try to focus on the person's individual traits and ignore their group membership. This means treating everyone as an individual, not assuming they're all the same.

The motivation to avoid prejudice can influence how someone acts in a particular situation. This means people might actively stop themselves from using stereotypes if they fear being judged as prejudiced.

The degree to which someone is motivated to avoid prejudice is not always consistent. It can vary based on the situation and the factors present.

People may be more likely to apply stereotypes if they can rationalize their use, attributing it to other factors than their own prejudice. This helps them maintain a sense of fairness.

Circumstances can influence how strongly someone tries to avoid prejudice. The presence of alternative explanations or individuating information can change their behavior.

People might use stereotypes more readily when they feel they have a reason to do so, even if that reason is not truly valid.

The presence of information that allows us to see someone as an individual, rather than just a member of a group, can reduce the likelihood of applying stereotypes.

The theory that prejudice is less overt but still present in individuals who try to avoid appearing prejudiced. It suggests that people may hold implicit biases even if they consciously believe they are not prejudiced.

The motivation to control prejudice can be influenced by various contextual factors, making it more or less likely that stereotypes will be applied.

Stereotypes can be activated and applied even when there is no direct evidence to support them, simply based on a person's group membership.

When someone doubts their own lack of prejudice, they might try harder to prove they're unbiased by acting even more fairly towards stereotyped individuals, almost overcompensating.

People are more likely to act on their negative feelings towards a group if they have a seemingly legitimate excuse.

The motivation to avoid appearing prejudiced can lead people to act in ways that actually reinforce their prejudice.

People who are confident in their lack of prejudice might relax their efforts to avoid acting in a prejudiced way, leading to more biased behavior.

Being accused of prejudice can make people more careful to ensure their reactions are unbiased.

To avoid appearing prejudiced, people might create seemingly legitimate excuses for their actions.

People who are accused of prejudice might be more likely to express negative feelings towards stereotyped individuals.

Being accused of prejudice can actually make people more likely to be biased in their judgments.