Social Cognition and Prejudice

Stereotyping is the tendency to attribute certain characteristics to a group of people based on their membership in that group, regardless of whether or not those characteristics are actually true of all members of the group.

Discrimination is the unfair treatment of a person or group based on their membership in a particular category, such as race, gender, or religion.

Out-group homogeneity is the tendency to view members of other groups as being more similar to each other than they actually are, while members of one's own group are seen as being more diverse.

In-group favoritism is the tendency to favor members of one's own group over members of other groups, even when the members of the other group are more deserving.

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture or group is superior to all others.

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners.

Racism is the belief that one race is superior to another.

Sexism is the belief that one sex is superior to another.

Socialization is the process by which people learn about and adopt the beliefs, values, and behaviors of their culture.

Acculturation is the process by which people learn about and adopt the beliefs, values, and behaviors of a new culture.

Assimilation is the process by which people adopt the beliefs, values, and behaviors of the dominant culture in a society.

Integration is the process by which people maintain their own culture while also adopting some of the beliefs, values, and behaviors of the dominant culture in a society.

Separation is the process by which people reject the beliefs, values, and behaviors of their own culture and adopt the beliefs, values, and behaviors of a new culture.

Marginalization is the process by which people maintain their own culture while also rejecting the beliefs, values, and behaviors of the dominant culture in a society.

Biculturalism is the process by which people adopt the beliefs, values, and behaviors of the dominant culture in a society while also maintaining some of their own cultural beliefs, values, and behaviors.