PSYC12H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Group Dynamics, Stereotype Threat, Ingroups And Outgroups
Document Summary
Human brain seems to almost automatically classify or categorize similar objects in the environment: this is pervasive and has been shown in children as young as 6 months. Stereotypes no longer regarded as the product of lazy thinking by the uneducated or those with moral deficiencies now regard stereotypes as a natural consequence of cognition. Humans have a limited capacity cognitive system that cannot simultaneously process all the available information in our social environment. We developed ways around our limited cognitive system one way is categorization. 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 dimension: ex. Categorizing people can be very logical (according to their support of a political candidate, maybe assume they share similar social attitudes) or illogical (colour of hair or skin) Thinking of a category name (e. g. , woman) automatically evokes the associated stereotype.
