Social Psychology | PSY 100 | Psychology 100

Have we stereotyped stereotyping? Some social psychologists believe so. They claim that stereotypes are not always inaccurate and do not invariably lead to biased judgments of others, as most people seem to believe. Other social psychologists draw a distinction between the content accuracy and application accuracy in the use of stereotypes. According to them, even if the content of a stereotype is accurate, applying the stereotype to judge an individual within a group is still likely to yield inaccurate perceptions. What do you think? Can stereotypes lead to accurate perceptions of others? Choose one of the ‘camps’ in this debate, and make sure to include an example in your response.
What is your status compared to others? Are you ‘more influenced’ by some people more than others? Look at the last few emails (between 2-3; not text messages) that you sent to someone and compare them with the last few they sent you. Notice the percentage of “I-words” each of you used (ex. “I went to the park”, “I am going on a trip”, etc.) Here’s the rule: The person who uses fewer “I-words” is the person who is higher in status. If the two of you are about the same in “I-word” usage, you probably have an equal relationship. Aside from the percentage of “I-words”, was there a difference in the content of the emails? Was there a difference in tone? Were the results surprising to you? How does this exercise illustrate the definition of Social Psychology?

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