Stereotypes and stereotyping

Stereotypes - structured sets of beliefs about the characteristics of members of social categories - influence how people attend to, encode, represent, and retrieve information about others, and how they judge and respond to them. A comprehensive overview of contemporary research, this volume highlights important approaches that have considerably expanded our understanding of stereotyping in recent years. Integrating cognitive, motivational, emotional, and linguistic perspectives, Stereotypes & Stereotyping demonstrates the diversity and richness of the field today and illuminates new directions for future research. Following a broad overview that defines stereotypes, the book addresses how they are formed and developed in chapters that cover the social psychology of stereotypes, the impact of physical appearance on their formation, and methods of assessing their accuracy. Internationally renowned authors consider the function and use of stereotypes, exploring their complex interrelationship with linguistic biases, prejudice and discrimination, and intergroup and interpersonal perception. Chapters then discuss how stereotypes can be undermined, detailing social psychological interventions to improve intergroup relations and examining ways that individual targets of stereotyping might motivate others to change. A concluding chapter takes a historical view of stereotype research, tracing the evolution of the field and evaluating current theories and methodologies. . Far-reaching and up to date, Stereotypes & Stereotyping is an invaluable resource for researchers in social psychology and related disciplines. It also serves as a text for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses on the subject.