PSY220H1 Lecture Notes - Out-Group Homogeneity, Cognitive Miser, Cognitive Dissonance
Document Summary
Stereotypes are cognitive schemas that allow for easy and efficient organization of information about people based on their membership to certain groups. There are four major factors you should take from this definition: stereotypes are schemas (mental shortcuts), they are a way to organize information, they are about people, and are based on group membership. Rather than carefully making judgements about people we meet, we take these shortcuts. This is because there is too much social information out there in order for us to carefully make a controlled judgement about every person we meet. Thinking of everyone as a unique individual just takes too much cognitive resources. That is, there is nothing in the definition of stereotype that is implicitly negative. However, the way they get used is negative! This area also happens to be considered one which requires much of our attention because of its large implications and frequent occurrence.
