PSYC18H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: John Pendry, Illusory Correlation, Relative Deprivation
Document Summary
Chapter 2 origin and maintenance of stereotypes and prejudice. This tendency is pervasive and has been shown in children as young as 6 months old. The reason why we categorize is that humans have a limited capacity cognitive system that cannot simultaneously process all the available information in our social environment. Based on aristotle"s principle of association, we assume that things that are similar on the basis of one feature or because they occur together will likely have other notable similarities on a number of dimensions. Basic categories are the central points around which stereotypes develop. However, some research suggested that stereotypes are not activated for all stimuli and specifically some research indicated that upon perceiving category words we automatically think of associated stereotypes but when seeing a member we do not. Macrae suggest that the way the person categorizes a picture of an individual depends on the perceiver"s motives, cognitions, and affect.
