Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Question 1: Which of the five core social motives (belonging, understanding, controlling, enhancing self, trusting others) do you think best explains the negative consequences of associating blacks with crime and animals in the criminal justice system as discussed in Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt's talk?

Question 2: In her talk, Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt first discussed the lay view of racism – that, generally, people believe that race is absent, that racism is a thing of the past and no longer a problem, and that blacks are treated fairly and have equal opportunities. Then, she presented a series of convincing studies demonstrating that racism is alive and kicking within the criminal justice system. Given this context, what are your reactions to Dr. Eberhardt's talk?

Question 3: Although prejudice is often narrowly defined in terms of negative attitudes toward people based on group membership, the definition applies much more broadly and includes liking “us” more than disliking “them” – in other words, favoring the in-group. Thus, much of discrimination occurs by neglect (depriving the outgroup), rather than deliberate derogation of the outgroup. How does the notion of ingroup favoritism shape or influence your thinking about prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, and social biases more generally?