Where Bias Begins: The Truth about Stereotypes

Option 2: Research Article Review
Find a scientific research article related to the field of cross-cultural psychology (may or may not be a topic discussed in class). May use literature search databases (such as PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES) or search journals in the library. Choose a topic of interest to you. Feel free to bring the article to class if you would like feedback regarding the quality of the article.
Content
Brief summary of the article
Critique/evaluation of the article (Does it make sense? Are the results justified? How is the topic relevant to the field of psychology? How might the results impact society?)
Write a 4-5 page paper, 1” margins, 12-point maximum font, double-spaced
Title page (not included in 4 page minimum) has your name, class/section, date
Reference page: must include authors, title, journal title and volume, date, page numbers
Submit it in Blackboard within Assignments: Papers (not Digital Dropbox!)
Only Blackboard submissions in Assignments: Papers are accepted
Late submissions lose 3 points per day late (don’t wait until the deadline!)
No excuses for not understanding how to submit papers in Blackboard
I suggest you submit your paper during business hours, in case you need to contact the HelpDesk if you are having trouble submitting on Blackboard
You will be graded on the relevance of the article, your ability to summarize the main points of the article, degree of depth and critical thinking evident in your critique/evaluation. Points will be taken off for not meeting page limits, incorrect formatting, or excessive grammatical errors. Be sure to proof read before turning in.

Paper Grading Criteria

Source: relevance and appropriateness, completeness and clarity of your description
Quality of critique: use of material from class and demonstration of critical thinking
Degree and demonstration of personal involvement
Writing quality
Format: Cover sheet, at least 4 full pages, 1” margins & 12 pt. font, double-spaced, no added spacing (e.g., empty lines), no copied text or graphics.

Keisha Clark

PSYC 4485: Psychology of Cultural Diversity

Section 001

April 2, 2011
Research Article Review

The title of the article is “Where Bias Begins: The Truth about Stereotypes.” The article is stated that those of us who appear to be progressive, also hold negative biases and prejudices on an unconscious level, as well as stereotype others in a negative way. It’s not just a neo-Nazi skinhead, the obvious example of someone who holds negative biases, prejudices and stereotypes. Even people who have experienced firsthand the sting of discrimination do harbor negative stereotypes, prejudices and biases in their unconscious mind. A psychology professor at Yale University, Mahzarin Banaji, someone who has experienced “firsthand the sting of discrimination”, took one of her own tests of unconscious bias and showed strong prejudices. She stated that it was “truly a disconcerting experience.” The article stated that it’s an illuminating one as well.

I wanted to write about stereotyping because I found that some stereotypes I held did not match up to reality, so in doing some research I could probably shed some light on this issue. I found the article to be a valid and I do agree with the article that even those of us who don’t consider ourselves to be prejudice do hold biases and stereotype others because I do and so do others. I am not one to be against someone and to hate them because of their skin color, but racism is not the only way to express prejudice. I always thought that prejudices and stereotypes were negative, but in writing this paper I came to understand that prejudices and stereotypes can be both negative and positive. I noticed that in reading the article and in writing, the three words stereotype, prejudice and bias were constantly being used together. Do negative prejudices and biases cause negative stereotype, or vice versa? I do believe that although one may stereotype a person or a particular group of people, you may not be prejudiced or discriminate against them. For example, a person believing that white Americans women all want to be extremely skinny may not be against them because they are white.

One big danger about stereotyping is the use of generalizations that allow for little or no individual differences or social variation. For example, holding the belief that all black people don’t like being in the sun or that because you’re black you can’t swim. I must point out that although people who are not black may hold these stereotypes, some black people as well hold these stereotypes of themselves. This is so far from the truth. Although I will not enjoy being outside in a 90 degree Fahrenheit weather, I like being in the sun on a nice cool day or under the shade. I cannot swim but this has nothing to do with me being black. The article never mentioned that people from the same group also hold stereotypes about their own group as well as hold prejudices against their own group, but I think it’s important to mention because it’s connected to the article in terms that some of these people don’t see it as stereotyping or being prejudice.

Unconscious bias is also referred to as hidden bias, implicit bias or automatic bias. From my understanding there are two parts: (1) having biases and truly not knowing that you do until a test or situation reveals it to you or coming to the realization through knowledge and (2) having biases but hiding them so that you won’t appear to be prejudiced. The article states that the tests used to expose unconscious biases are similar to those used by automatic stereotype researchers. According to Americans for American Values, “Understanding Implicit Bias is critical to overcoming our society’s racial contradictions. It explains how people can genuinely believe in equality, while simultaneously engaging in behavior that favors dominant groups. The doctors who are giving different treatment to white and black patients with similar symptoms are not hate-filled bigots – they are likely people fully intending to do their best by all patients regardless of race. Unbeknownst to them, their implicit associations about black patients shade their evaluations of symptoms.”

The topics of stereotype and prejudice are important to the field of psychology for several reasons, some of which are: it sheds light into the big societal issue of discrimination of all types and helps those who are suffering from psychological issues due to discrimination; researching stereotyping, prejudices and discrimination helps us all understand these issues more and thirdly helps people not to fear diversity and to see the richness it. In regards to unconscious bias, “studies show that implicit bias can be decreased at least for certain periods of time by, for example, exposure to “positive exemplars” (e.g., Martin Luther King or Tiger Woods) or persons who defy stereotypes. In addition, studies have shown that diverse social environments (at workplaces, colleges etc.) can help lower implicit bias and that seeing (for example) images of African Americans at a BBQ reduced implicit bias versus images of African Americans in a gang setting, (Americans for American Values).

We can quickly say a KKK member is racist and prejudice, but even people of the same racial and ethnic groups stereotype and hold prejudices against each other. Even the most forward thinking person may hold stereotypes and prejudices. So we should not just focus on the obvious but also on what’s not obvious.Having negative prejudices and stereotypes is not only damaging to those they are directed to, I believe they are also damaging to the person doing them. No one wins. I think it would serve everyone well to search for themselves to see if they hold hidden biases and to check if there stereotypes match up with reality.

Reference

www.psychologytoday.com/print/25335

www.delmar.edu/socsci/rlong/race/far-02.htm

www.tolerance.org/activity/test-yourself-hidden-bias

writers.unconsciousbias.org/unconsciousbias/