These questions are to help
you understand major concepts of each chapter and to prepare for the Exam 1.
Chapter 1
1. Explain the
distinctions among stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination.
2. Explain how
Walter Lippman’s description of stereotypes as
“pictures in our heads” is consistent with modern researchers’ conceptions of
stereotypes.
3.
List the key
aspects of stereotypes described in your text.
4.
Define
descriptive and prescriptive stereotypes and give an example of each.
5.
List two reasons
people find members of other social groups threatening.
6.
Explain why people
who consider themselves unprejudiced can still harbor negative attitudes toward
social groups.
7.
Define
interpersonal discrimination and give an example.
8.
Define
institutional discrimination and given an example.
9.
Explain the role
of power in cultural discrimination.
10. Can people know the stereotypic beliefs associated
with a social group and not be prejudiced? Explain your answer.
11. Distinguish between implicit and explicit prejudice.
12. Explain the relationship between power and racism.
13. Describe what is meant by
historical research results that reflect scientific racism.
14. List two defining characteristics of racism.
15. Define group privilege and give an example.
16. Alvin Poussaint refers to
the impact of privilege on the unprivileged as death by a thousand nicks. Explain his reasoning.
17. Explain why members of privileged groups should be
concerned about group privilege.
18. List two major theories of prejudice that take a
psychodynamic perspective.
19. Distinguish between a structural-functionalist view
and a conflict perspective of stereotyping.
20. Describe the basic proposition of social role theory.
21. Explain how evolutionary psychologists account for
prejudice and discrimination.
22. What is ethnocentrism and how does it relate to
evolutionary theorists’ views about stereotyping and prejudice?
23. List two reasons why social psychological research has
emphasized White racism toward African Americans.
24. Distinguish between heterosexism and homophobia.
25. Are some “isms” more serious than others?
26. Is the concept of race meaningful in today’s society?
Chapter 2
1.
Define the term
operational definition and give an example based on research in prejudice and
discrimination.
2.
What two
questions should a researcher ask when interpreting research results?
3.
List two factors
researchers consider in interpreting results of a study.
4.
Define
generalizability and explain its importance in interpreting research results.
5.
Describe a study
that uses a correlational research strategy.
6.
Explain why
correlation does not indicate causality.
7.
Give one reason
why correlational research can be useful even though it cannot show that one
variable causes another.
8.
Are measures of
implicit and explicit prejudice assessing the same concepts? Defend your
answer.
9.
Define independent variable and dependent variable and give an example
of each.
10. Define ethnographic research and give an example of
its use in research on stereotyping and prejudice.
11. List two examples of items that can
be studied by using content analysis.
12. List and describe two ways stereotypic content is assessed.
13. List two advantages and two
disadvantages of self-report measures.
14. Explain the advantage of using more than one type of
measure to study prejudice.
Chapter
3
1.
What are schemas?
2.
Distinguish
between content and process as they relate to research on categorization.
3.
Define the term basic social category and give an
example.
4.
List two
characteristics of basic social categories.
5.
What is ingroup favoritism and what are the minimum conditions
necessary to create it?
6.
Define the
outgroup homogeneity effect and list one possible explanation for why it
occurs.
7.
What is the
ultimate attribution error?
8.
Provide evidence
that the behavior of a single minority group member can influence how the
entire social group is viewed.
9.
What are the
basic principles of the social role theory of stereotype origins?
10. What two conditions must be met
for an illusory correlation to develop?
11. How does social learning theory account for stereotype
development.
12. Briefly describe two ways in which stereotypes are transmitted in society.
13. Which two methods do parents use to teach gender stereotypes?
Give an example of each.
14. Use results of research to support the hypothesis that
there is a relationship between stereotyping and the media.
15. Explain one way that language conveys stereotypic
information.
16. List and define two ways psychologists assess
stereotype accuracy.
17. Briefly describe one
of the following functions of stereotypes: ego-defensive, cognitive,
social-adjustment. How does
stereotypes help to fulfill
the function you choose.
18. How can the social adjustment function explain
Americans’ reactions to Muslims after 9-11?
19. Explain how expectancies can influence people’s
interactions with social group members.
20. What is the linguistic intergroup
bias? How does it operate to maintain stereotypes?
21. Describe a strategy to change a stereotypic belief
that serves a cognitive function.