Stereotyping as Inductive Hypothesis Testing / Edition 1

by Klaus Fiedler, Eva Walther

Overview

Traditional social hypotheses have a built-in tendency to verify themselves and so involuntarily resist attempts at stereotype change or correction. This is the insight demonstrated and discussed as the start point for an alternative approach to the problem of stereotyping and hypothesis testing. Stereotyping as Inductive Hypothesis Testing explicates the proposition that many stereotypes originate not so much in individual brains, but in the stimulus environment that interacts with and constitutes the social individual. This cognitive-ecological approach is then used to analyse the different aspects of language, sign systems and communication that can implicitly govern hypothesis testing procedures and lead to circular or reinforcing outcomes. The authors describe factors in tests such as judgment, memory and expectation and go on to suggest viable ecological learning approaches to them. An original research project based on a classroom situation is used to demonstrate and verify findings. The cognitive-ecological approach is then contextualised in relation to both the traditional approaches it can replace and the contemporary statistical sampling practices it can improve. Written with a profound understanding of the link between theoretical rigour and good empirical research practice this monograph will be invaluable to anyone with an interest in stereotyping or who wishes to enhance the reliability and self-awareness of their research methods.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780863778322
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/06/2003
Series:	European Monographs in Social Psychology
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Klaus Fiedler, Eva Walther

Table of Contents

The Topic of Social Hypothesis Testing. Stereotyping as a Cognitive-Environmental Learning Process: Delineating the Conceptual Framework. Learning of Social Hypotheses - Stereotypes as Illusory Correlations. The Auto-verification of Social Hypotheses. Information Search in the 'Inner World': The Origin of Stereotypes in Memory. Testing Social Hypotheses in Tri-variate Problem Space: Further Variants of Environmental Stereotype Learning. Explicit and Implicit Hypotheses Testing in a Complex Environment. The Vicissitudes of Information Sampling in a Fallible Environment: An Integrative Framework. Epilogue: Locating CELA in Modern Stereotype Research.

Editorial Reviews

I like this monograph and think it makes some important points. It presents an outstanding research program which is very well described. - Charles Stangor, University of Maryland, College Park, USA

From the Publisher