Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Key Takeaways

• Ingroup favoritism is a fundamental and evolutionarily functional aspect of human perception, and it occurs even in groups that are not particularly meaningful.
• Ingroup favoritism is caused by a variety of variables, but particularly important is self-concern: We experience positive social identity as a result of our membership in valued social groups.
• Ingroup favoritism develops early in children and influences our behavior toward ingroup and outgroup members in a variety of ways.
• Personality dimensions that relate to ingroup favoritism include authoritarianism and social dominance orientation - dimensions that relate to less ingroup favoritism include a desire to control one's prejudice and humanism.
• There are at least some cultural differences in the tendency to show ingroup favoritism and to stereotype others.