Prejudice and behavior: A review

Originally it was thought that prejudiced intergroup attitudes were very closely related to negative intergroup behavior. More recently, empirical studies reveal a weak and inconsistent relationship, that discriminatory intergroup behavior is therefore largely determined by situational factors, and that it is relatively independent of an individual’s attitudes. A detailed review of this research, however, suggests that the relationship between prejudice and behavior may be much more consistent than has been thought. Moreover, although the relationship is usually not very powerful, most research has involved methodological inadequacies which would have inappropriately depressed it. Finally, it is noted that, for negative intergroup behavior to be situationally determined, does not exclude a strong relationship between it and prejudiced attitudes.     

Prejudice and behavior: A review

Originally it was thought that prejudiced intergroup attitudes were very closely related to negative intergroup behavior. More recently, empirical studies reveal a weak and inconsistent relationship, that discriminatory intergroup behavior is therefore largely determined by situational factors, and that it is relatively independent of an individual’s attitudes. A detailed review of this research, however, suggests that the relationship between prejudice and behavior may be much more consistent than has been thought. Moreover, although the relationship is usually not very powerful, most research has involved methodological inadequacies which would have inappropriately depressed it. Finally, it is noted that, for negative intergroup behavior to be situationally determined, does not exclude a strong relationship between it and prejudiced attitudes.     

Risk,terrorism, and the internet

This paper examines how far new media technologies are transforming the nature of risk in contemporary society. It focuses on the ways in which the Internet came to act as a key vehicle for the rapid circulation of news, rumors, and hoaxes, as well as displays of public grieving, in the wake of September 11. The paper concludes by reassessing theories of “risk society” in relation to growing anxieties about the nature of future terrorist attacks. It suggests that there is an urgent need to understand how the dynamics of new media technologies are altering the ways in which we perceive such risks. Her main research interests are focused around the news media and risk, and she is the author of Media, Culture and the Environment, UCL Press, 1997 (Rutgers University Press in the United States).     

Intercultural Effectiveness,Authoritarianism, and Ethnic Prejudice

This study examined the extent to which intercultural effectiveness dimensions (cultural empathy, open‐mindedness, social initiative, emotional stability, flexibility) and right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA) predicted the ethnic prejudice of 166 Australian respondents toward Indigenous Australians. Intercultural effectiveness was assessed on the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire, and RWA was assessed on the RWA scale, whereas ethnic prejudice was measured on the Modern Racism Scale. The results revealed that intercultural effectiveness (open‐mindedness, flexibility, cultural empathy) was inversely related to ethnic prejudice, with open‐mindedness being the main predictor. Intercultural effectiveness was also inversely related to RWA, the latter being directly related to ethnic prejudice. The implications of these findings for the potential role of intercultural effectiveness in combating ethnic prejudice are discussed.     

Authoritarianism,Religious Fundamentalism,Quest, and Prejudice

Five studies of university students and their parents were carried out to investigate the relationships among right-wing authoritarianism, various indices of religious orientation, and prejudice. Measures of religious fundamentalism, and religious quest, developed for this research, proved to be psychometrically sound, and were good discriminators between prejudiced and unprejudiced persons, across a variety of different measures of prejudice and authoritarian aggression. Scores on both Religious Fundamentalism and Religious Quest scales also were correlated strongly with right-wing authoritarianism and the Christian Orthodoxy scale, although orthodoxy itself tended not to be correlated with prejudice. Apparently, religious fundamentalism and nonquesting are linked with authoritarianism and prejudice toward a wide variety of minority groups. Possible explanations for these relationships are discussed.     

Prime and Prejudice

Drawing upon theoretical perspectives from applied and social psychology, sociology, and management literatures, we develop a conceptual model in which conscious and subconscious prejudice interact to cause work discrimination. We posit that consciously non-prejudiced employees can face cognitive trade-offs outside of awareness that stem from a contradictory pull of primed subconscious prejudice. This cognitive paradox can lead to unintended, automatic discriminatory behaviour. Understanding the interplay between conscious lack of prejudice and primed subconscious prejudice, ostensibly, has greater organisational implications than studying either one alone. This is because employees cannot effectively grapple with unintended work discrimination without a more complete understanding of mechanisms that trigger these behaviours without awareness. In this article, we fuse new and prior points to offer novel theory insights.     

Prejudice, Prodigality, and the Precariousness of Life

In this essay, I focus on James Dittes' Bias and the Pious (1973), which addresses the relationship of religion and prejudice from a psychological perspective. I give particular attention to his discussion of the needs that underlie prejudice, his suggestion that religion may meet these needs better than the prejudice itself, and his distinction between contractual and prodigal faith. The incident discussed in the book involving conflict between the minister and church leaders of Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha is highlighted because of my personal association with this church.     

Trans Prejudice in Sport: Differences from LGB Prejudice,the Influence of Gender,and Changes over Time

The purpose of our study was to examine prejudice toward trans individuals in sport. Questionnaire data were collected from separate, albeit demographically similar, samples of students in 2007 (n = 199) and 2014 (n = 124). Results indicate that trans prejudice was higher than prejudice expressed toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals and that these differences remained over time. There were no gender differences as women and men expressed the same degrees of trans prejudice. Finally, trans prejudice significantly decreased over time, although the magnitude of the change was not as large as the corresponding decrease in LGB prejudice. Study findings suggest that although prejudice against trans individuals has decreased, additional interventions and prejudice reduction efforts are needed.