Social Biases name Psych 555 date instructor

Social Biases

Bias comes in many forms, including race, age, gender, and ethnicity and can be universal or location specific (Fiske, 2010). It is described as favoring thinking of particular way, or something to watch. Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination are all forms of biases because of the treatment the individual receives from others (Fiske, 2010). Bias is defined as “a particular tendency or inclination, especially one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice” (Bias, n.d.). Social interactions between some groups might create common biases. Social biases may be harmful and interfere with human interaction (Fiske, 2010). Define concepts of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination Prejudice is a baseless and usually negative attitude toward members of a group. Fiske (2010) states “prejudice entails reacting emotionally to an individual on the basis of one’s feeling about the group as a whole” (p. 429). Prejudice can be based on a number of factors including, nationality, religion, sexual orientations, age, race, and sex. The most commonly seen prejudice in society is racism, sexism, ageism, religious prejudice, homophobia, and nationalism. Every race, culture, country, and community has a stereotype. By stereotyping a group, it has become a way to oversimplifying the group. Stereotyping is often negative and exaggerated; it is a set of generalizations about a group of people. Stereotyping can be both correct and incorrect; most of the statements made are often exaggerated. Fiske (2010) states “stereotypes are fixed ideas that accompany category” (p. 428). The most common forms of stereotyping are racial stereotyping, gender stereotyping, and sexual stereotyping. Many negative stereotypes are associated with different groups, one group is