Outgroup Bias (Definition + Examples)
Summary
TLDRThis video script delves into the concept of out-group bias, a cognitive bias where individuals favor their own group over others. It explains how this bias can lead to negative perceptions and actions towards out-group members, often rooted in competition for resources from primitive times. The script uses examples like xenophobia and classic experiments, such as the blue eyes-brown eyes exercise and the Stanford Prison Experiment, to illustrate the impact of this bias on behavior. It also touches on out-group homogeneity bias, where out-group members are viewed as interchangeable and stereotyped. The video emphasizes the importance of awareness to combat these biases for a fairer world.
Takeaways
- 🏈 The script discusses the concept of 'out-group bias', a cognitive bias where individuals favor their own group over others.
- 🤔 Out-group bias is closely related to 'in-group bias', where people show preference for those in their own group, which was covered in a previous video.
- 🧐 The bias can manifest in various ways, such as sports team rivalries or college affiliations, leading to negative reactions towards the rival group.
- 🏛️ Social psychologists suggest that out-group bias may have roots in primitive times when competition for limited resources was a matter of survival.
- 🌐 The bias can lead to withholding resources or acting against the interests of out-group members, which is a natural extension of in-group preference.
- 👁️ The 'Blue Eyes Brown Eyes' experiment by Jane Elliott demonstrates how quickly group dynamics can lead to discrimination based on superficial traits.
- 🏫 The Stanford Prison Experiment highlights the rapid escalation of in-group and out-group bias when power dynamics are introduced.
- 👥 Out-group homogeneity bias is a related concept where out-group members are perceived as interchangeable and stereotyped, without individual distinction.
- 📉 The script points out the serious consequences of out-group bias, such as prejudgment and withholding help based on race, religion, or other affiliations.
- 💡 Awareness of out-group bias is crucial for making more impartial decisions and fair judgments, as it is a cognitive bias that all humans possess.
- 📚 The video encourages viewers to watch more in the social psychology series for a deeper understanding of these biases and their impact on society.
Q & A
What is the cognitive bias known as 'in-group, out-group bias'?
-The 'in-group, out-group bias' is a cognitive bias where individuals favor members of their own group (in-group) over those who are not part of their group (out-group). This bias can manifest in various forms, such as preferring to associate with in-group members and potentially looking down upon or withholding resources from out-group members.
Why do we feel anger or negative emotions towards out-group members?
-The negative emotions towards out-group members may stem from our evolutionary past, where competition for limited resources led to a preference for one's own group. This bias can lead to a gut reaction of distrust or dislike for those who are not part of our in-group.
What is the difference between 'in-group bias' and 'out-group bias'?
-In-group bias refers to the preference and favorable treatment of members within one's own group, while out-group bias is the tendency to look down upon or treat members of a different group unfavorably.
Can you provide an example of how out-group bias can manifest in sports?
-An example of out-group bias in sports is when fans of a particular sports team, such as University of Texas fans, look down upon or feel animosity towards fans of a rival team, like OU fans.
What is the 'blue eyes brown eyes' experiment conducted by Jane Elliott?
-The 'blue eyes brown eyes' experiment was a social study conducted by Jane Elliott, a schoolteacher in the 1960s, to demonstrate the effects of discrimination. She divided her third-grade class by eye color, assigning one day for blue-eyed students as superior and the next for brown-eyed students, to show how quickly biases can form and affect behavior.
What were the consequences of the 'Stanford Prison Experiment'?
-The 'Stanford Prison Experiment' resulted in participants, assigned as guards or prisoners, quickly adopting their roles to an extreme degree, leading to violence and psychological trauma. The experiment was halted after six days due to the severity of the consequences.
What is 'out-group homogeneity bias'?
-Out-group homogeneity bias is the tendency to view members of an out-group as interchangeable and having the same unfavorable traits, without distinguishing between individuals within that group.
How does out-group homogeneity bias relate to stereotypes?
-Out-group homogeneity bias is closely related to stereotypes, as it involves painting all members of an out-group with the same brush, attributing certain unfavorable qualities to them without recognizing individual differences.
What are some potential consequences of out-group bias?
-Consequences of out-group bias can include prejudgment of individuals based on their group affiliation, withholding of help or resources from those perceived as out-group members, and potential discrimination in various aspects of life, such as employment or social interactions.
How can awareness of out-group bias help in creating a fairer world?
-By being aware of out-group bias, individuals can make more impartial decisions and judgments. This awareness can help counteract the automatic negative reactions towards out-group members and promote fairness and equality.
What can be done to mitigate the effects of out-group bias?
-Mitigating the effects of out-group bias involves being mindful of one's thoughts and actions, recognizing the potential influence of biases, and actively working to treat all individuals fairly and without prejudice.
Outlines
🤔 Understanding Out-group Bias
This paragraph delves into the concept of out-group bias, a cognitive bias that leads individuals to favor their own group over others. It begins by prompting the viewer to consider their favorite sports team or college and their rival, noting how quickly one's thoughts can turn negative towards the rival. The script explains that this bias is rooted in our social identity and the natural preference for our in-group. It also touches on the tendency to withhold resources or act against the out-group, suggesting an evolutionary basis for this behavior linked to competition for limited resources. Examples such as xenophobia and the blue eyes-brown eyes experiment conducted by Jane Elliott are given to illustrate the impact of out-group bias, showing how quickly individuals can form negative perceptions and act against a newly defined out-group. The paragraph concludes with a mention of the Stanford Prison Experiment, highlighting the profound effects of in-group and out-group dynamics on behavior.
🚨 Consequences and Awareness of Out-group Bias
The second paragraph focuses on the serious consequences of out-group bias, such as prejudging individuals and withholding help based on superficial factors like skin color or sports team affiliation. It emphasizes the importance of being aware of this bias, which is inherent in all humans, to foster a fairer world. The script encourages mindfulness of one's thoughts and actions, recognizing that biases can mislead our decision-making. It concludes by inviting viewers to engage with the content through comments or by watching more videos in the social psychology series, aiming to deepen their understanding of out-group bias and its implications on society.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cognitive Bias
💡In-group Bias
💡Out-group Bias
💡Social Identity
💡Resource Competition
💡Xenophobia
💡Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Experiment
💡Stanford Prison Experiment
💡Out-group Homogeneity Bias
💡Stereotypes
💡Fairness
Highlights
The concept of in-group and out-group bias is explored, explaining how individuals tend to favor their own group and may harbor negative feelings towards rival groups.
The cognitive bias known as out-group bias is introduced, which can lead to negative reactions towards those who are not part of one's own group.
Social psychologists suggest that out-group bias may have originated from primitive times when competition for limited resources was a matter of survival.
Examples of out-group bias include sports team rivalries and the tendency to look down upon fans of rival teams.
The Stanford Prison Experiment is mentioned as a notorious study demonstrating the rapid development of in-group and out-group bias under conditions of power dynamics.
The Blue Eyes Brown Eyes experiment by Jane Elliott is highlighted as a classic psychology study that showed how quickly children could turn against an out-group based on superficial traits like eye color.
Out-group homogeneity bias is discussed, where members of an out-group are viewed as interchangeable and stereotyped, without individual distinctions.
Stereotypes are criticized for painting all individuals of an out-group with the same unfavorable qualities, leading to unfair judgments.
The potential consequences of out-group bias are examined, such as prejudging people and withholding help based on superficial characteristics.
The importance of being aware of out-group bias to make more impartial decisions and better judgments is emphasized.
The video encourages viewers to watch the rest of the social psychology series for a deeper understanding of cognitive biases.
The video provides examples and studies to illustrate the natural preference for people who belong to our in-groups.
The video explains how out-group bias can manifest in various social contexts, including race, gender, and even educational affiliations.
The video discusses the idea that out-group bias may lead to withholding resources or acting against the needs of the out-group.
The video suggests that understanding and addressing out-group bias is crucial for fostering a more fair and equitable society.
The video invites viewers to leave comments if they have questions about the discussed topics, promoting further engagement and discussion.
Transcripts
think of your favorite sports team or
the college where you got your degree
now think of the rival sports team or
the rival college
it doesn't take long for your thoughts
maybe to turn sour and whenever you step
back you might remind yourself that not
all fans of that team or the people that
went to that school are necessarily bad
people but your gut reaction might be to
roll your eyes at them
why is this and why do we feel so much
anger towards a specific group of people
that is outside our own well social
psychologists
anthropologists and even economists have
an idea
we all possess the cognitive bias known
as the in-group
out-group bias and if you haven't seen
my video on in-group biases yet i
recommend you to watch it it definitely
provides more examples and studies that
show our natural preference
towards people who belong in our in
groups but in this video we're going to
be talking about the out-group bias
so what is the out-group bias we form
groups based on a variety of factors
as a simple example we may see men as
one group and women as another we may
see white people as one group and black
people as another group we may see
university of texas fans as one group
and ou fans as another group
many social psychologists believe that
our separation of groups
and formation of a social identity leads
to the preference of one group over
another a person is much more likely to
look favorably upon the people who
belong to the groups in which they
belong
for example a ut fan is much more likely
to look favorably
upon other ut fans outgroup bias however
shows the other side of this coin
a ut fan is more likely to look down
upon
ou fans or fans of rival sports teams
this idea also suggests that in addition
to preferring people in our in-groups
we are more likely to withhold resources
or act against
the needs of the out group but why
social psychologists believe that it
goes back to more primitive days
when people were competing for limited
resources they were actually competing
for their lives
they were competing for basic needs like
food water and shelter
and if your in group had control of the
food water and shelter you would be more
likely to get the resources you needed
to stay alive
clearly you want to support your group
but if the out group came and took those
resources from you
you might not get fed or you might not
have a place to sleep so primitive
thinking leads us to think to drive away
the out-group at
all costs now let's get into some
examples of the out-group bias because
the mindset is still at the core of the
in-group
outgroup bias just think about
xenophobia a common argument against
immigration
is that people don't want immigrants to
take jobs from citizens
so they paint immigrants in a bad light
and even vote for policies to secure
borders further
let's dive deeper into one of the most
classic psychology experiments
and it's called the blue eyes brown eyes
experiment
jane elliott was actually the woman who
conducted this famous blue eyes brown
eyes exercise
jane elliott was a schoolteacher in the
1960s she split her third grade class by
their eye color
on the first day she would name the
blue-eyed group as superior
then she would tell the brown-eyed group
that they were inferior and point out
their mistakes
while praising the blue-eyed group later
she would switch the roles
while the exercise was meant to teach
her students about the effects of racism
it quickly became known nationwide and
actually a documentary on the exercise
showed just how fast the children would
turn on the out group
a lesson meant for history a similar
experiment a few years later became
known as one of the most notorious
psychological studies in the country
the stanford prison experiment took 24
college-aged boys
and assigned them to either the role of
a prisoner or a guard
the guards were given power to treat the
prisoner in any way that they'd like
as long as they couldn't hit them and
the prisoners were instructed to obey
you can see how quickly this went wrong
again the participants
who had not known each other prior to
the study and had never done jail time
quickly turned on each other within a
few days the prisoners even banded
together and staged a revolt against the
guards
the experiment was cancelled after six
days due to the violence and the
potential psychological trauma
it would have on the participants i'll
talk about this experiment in depth in a
later video
but it goes to show how deep in-group
and outgroup bias can have
on the behaviors of those in charge now
one of the ideas intertwined with
in-group and out-group bias
is something called out-group
homogeneity bias and studies found that
we do more than just few out-groups less
favorably than our in-group
those studies have also revealed that we
are more likely to view the members of
an out group as interchangeable
all with the same unfavorable traits the
outgroup homogeny bias
suggests that it is easier for us to
remember individuals in an in-group
rather than an out-group partially
because they all blend together
if you've ever heard someone use
stereotypes about one gender or one race
or one ethnic group
this might sound familiar stereotypes
paint all people of one out group
of having a certain set of unfavorable
qualities when these stereotypes are
used
they are done so without distinguishing
any one person in the out group from
another
everyone in the owl group is treated the
same imagine if someone said to you
i tried the mcdonald's on route 291 and
it sucked therefore i believe
all mcdonald's suck this happens all the
time with people
except instead of a restaurant it's a
religion or it's a race or a belief
system
or even financial situations clearly
out-group bias can have some serious
consequences
we may judge people before we even know
them we may withhold help from people
just because of the color of their skin
or the football team that they root for
in order to ensure a more fair world we
have to be aware of the outgroup bias
and this is something that all humans
are guilty of just like any other
cognitive bias
by being mindful of our thoughts and
actions and understanding that our
biases may be leading us astray
we can then make more impartial
decisions and better judgments
i hope you guys enjoy this video about
the outgroup bias and i hope the
examples helped you understand them a
little bit more
if you have any questions at all leave a
comment below or watch the rest of my
videos in the social psychology series
i'll see you in the next one
Weitere ähnliche Videos ansehen
Every Psychological Concept Explained In 7 Minutes
12 Cognitive Biases Explained - How to Think Better and More Logically Removing Bias
Implicit Bias | Concepts Unwrapped
Stereotypes vs. Prejudice vs. Discrimination
The science behind ‘us vs. them’ | Dan Shapiro, Robert Sapolsky & more | Big Think
Conformity Bias | Concepts Unwrapped
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)