UNDERSTANDING UNCONSCIOUS BIAS: STEREOTYPES, PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION

SOURCE: https://cultureplusconsulting.com/2015/05/24/unconscious-bias-stereotypes-prejudice-
discrimination/

Stereotypes refer to beliefs that certain attributes, characteristics, and

behaviours are typical of members of a particular group of people. The way we
categorise social groups is often based on visible features that provide the
largest between-group differentiation and least within-group variation (for
example, skin colour, gender, age). We construct stereotypes from direct
personal experience or, more commonly, from other people, or via the media.
The media has a large influence on stereotype formation when we have limited
opportunities for meaningful exchange with people from outside our own social
group.

The benefits of stereotypes

The human brain has a natural tendency to categorise everything. At any one
time, our brain is bombarded with an infinite number of stimuli. Without an
efficient method of making sense of this information, our brains would become
overloaded. By sorting stimuli (for example, experiences, objects, people) into
categories, we can process our environments more efficiently. This frees up
mental resources for other tasks.

Categorising people helps us to navigate our social world more efficiently.

Social categorisation provides a sense of order and predictability that we can
rely on to guide our interactions with others. Our stereotype for the elderly
alerts us to speak loudly in their company. When we are ill, our stereotype for
doctors leads us to seek out and trust their advice.

Differences in the tendency to stereotype

Researchers have demonstrated that individuals with a greater need for control
are more likely to use stereotypes.

In addition, when we have limited mental resources available for making sense

of our social environment, we rely more on stereotypes to make judgements
and guide our behaviours. Reliance on stereotypes is more pronounced when
we are distracted by another mentally taxing task, or when we are under
emotional or physiological stress.

The problems with stereotypes

Socially-constructed
Some stereotypes are informed generalisations about a group of people. It is
generally true, for example, that younger people have better hearing than older
people. Yet many of our stereotypes are invalid— particularly when they are
based on race, religion, or gender. Because of this, stereotypes can be
problematic and counter-productive when working with diverse others.

Arbitrary
Stereotypes are arbitrary ways of categorising individuals. No social group is
homogenous. Stereotypes might not accurately represent the characteristics of
a particular member of that group.

Biased
Research shows we that believe individuals from the same social group to be
more similar than they really are. We also tend to exaggerate the differences
between social groups. An American is likely to believe that all German people
are very similar across a broad range of characteristics, and that Germans are
very different from Italians.

Researchers also report bias in our categorisations of out-groups and in-

groups. Out-groups are social groups to which we do not perceive ourselves as
belonging. In-groups are the social groups with which we most identify. We
perceive members of out-group members as sharing similar characteristics, but
we think of in-group members as having unique characteristics and attributes.

Prejudice & discrimination

As well as shaping our beliefs about people, stereotypes drive social
judgements. Prejudice refers to our feelings or attitudes about a group and its
members. Prejudice is commonly associated with stereotypes; our evaluations
of others reflect what we believe to be true about them.

Discrimination refers to differential (usually unfair or negative) treatment

of individuals perceived to be belonging to a particular social group; for
example, being overlooked in promotion or hiring, or being treated with
hostility.

Discrimination is linked to stereotypes and prejudice. Strong egalitarian social

norms, however, might deter a prejudiced person from acting in a
discriminatory manner.

Bias in the workplace

Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination create physical and emotional
distance between members of different social groups. Mild forms of bias can
lead to awkward and uncomfortable interactions, intentional or unconscious
avoidance, and interactions lacking warmth or civility. More extreme forms of
bias can lead to tension and conflict, hostility, harassment, or aggression.

Stereotypes and other forms of bias can overshadow the strategic benefits of

diversity by preventing all employees from contributing to work processes. 

Companies that do not address internal bias might also face

costly discrimination claims.

Unconscious bias
Researchers have shown that stereotyping and associated responses are
automatic and unconscious. A particularly disturbing example involves a series
of experiments in which participants played a video game. During the game, an
individual who was sometimes White and sometimes Black appeared
spontaneously, carrying either a gun or a different, non-threatening object. The
participants were told to ‘shoot’ when the intruder was carrying a gun, but to
press another key if the intruder was carrying a benign object. The results
showed that the number of times the participants accidentally perceived the
object to be a gun was much higher for the Black intruder than for the White
intruder. The results were similar for White and Black participants, indicating
that negative stereotypes can exist intragroup as well as intergroup.

Stereotype resistance
Stereotypes are maintained and reinforced by powerful mental biases that filter
out information that contradicts or challenges preexisting beliefs or attitudes.

Attribution bias
Stereotypes are maintained by biases in the attributions we make about a
person’s behaviour. When a person behaves in accordance with a stereotype,
we attribute that behaviour to the stereotypical characteristic they share with
other members of their group. This reinforces the stereotype. However, if an
individual behaves in contrast to a group stereotype, we are more likely to
attribute that behaviour to external causes, preserving the integrity of the
stereotype.

Attention bias
Similarly, research shows we pay more attention to action that is consistent
with a stereotype than to action that contradicts a stereotype.

Subtyping
When a member of a stereotyped group displays counter-stereotypical qualities,
this might also evoke subtyping. Subtyping involves explaining an exception by
assigning that individual to a subcategory of the stereotyped group rather than
modifying the original stereotype.

Self-fulfilling prophecy
Stereotyped individuals might act in a manner consistent with the stereotype
as they react to out-group members. For example, if an outsider believes that a
social group is aggressive, this might cause him or her to act antagonistically
or with animosity towards members of that group. Stereotyped group members
might then respond with to the outsider with hostility. This unintentionally
reaffirms and reinforces the stereotype.

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