Since most of us know that stereotypes can be extremely harmful, why do our brains keep producing them? Explain and provide an example.

What will be an ideal response?


Student examples will vary. A sample answer follows. Stereotypes are harmful when we insult, ignore, or condescend to someone based on that person's surface qualities. Many researchers believe that the human brain continues to come up with stereotypes for the sake of efficiency. For example, if I am at a party, I might try to engage women in a conversation about cooking. I would do this because my internal (sexist) stereotype is that even if some women are not interested in cooking, nearly everyone who is interested in cooking is a woman.
Researchers have also proposed that stereotypes are part of a two-level process. The first part is automatic activation of the stereotype. The second part is more deliberate, as we learn more about the person we are interacting with or the situation we are in. To continue the previous example, I might try to discuss cooking with women at a party, but if men contributed information and asked questions on the topic, I would discuss the topic with them and then put a note in my mental database reminding me not to rely on stereotypes.

Psychology

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If you were on a submarine deep in the ocean with artificial light that was constant at all times, what would happen to your rhythm of wakefulness and sleepiness? a. You would feel wakeful and sleepy on an irregular, unpredictable schedule

b. You would feel a constant state of low-alertness wakefulness. c. You would continue feeling wakeful and sleepy on a nearly 24-hour basis. d. You would feel sleepy after any physical exertion, and wakeful about 8 hours later.

Psychology

Which explanation of gender role development is similar to Piaget's concept of schemes?

What will be an ideal response?

Psychology

Karim makes a funny face at baby Jamila, and she makes it back at him several hours later, when he isn't making that face. Jamila is engaged in

A) object permanence. B) pretend play. C) categorization. D) deferred imitation.

Psychology

Cola soft drinks, tea, chocolate, cold remedies, and many name-brand aspirin products all contain the psychoactive drug

a. caffeine. b. GHB. c. alcohol. d. nicotine.

Psychology