Outgroup Bias (Definition + Examples)

Summary

This 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

00:00

🤔 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.

05:02

🚨 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.

Keywords

💡Cognitive Bias

Cognitive bias refers to the systematic errors in thinking that affect the judgments and decisions people make. In the context of this video, the focus is on 'in-group' and 'out-group' biases, which are psychological tendencies to favor one's own group and to view other groups less favorably. The video discusses how these biases can lead to discrimination and unfair treatment of out-group members.

💡In-group Bias

In-group bias is a specific type of cognitive bias where individuals favor members of their own group over those in other groups. This is related to the video's theme as it sets the stage for understanding 'out-group bias' by first establishing the preference for one's own group, as seen in the example of sports team fans favoring their own team over rivals.

💡Out-group Bias

Out-group bias is the tendency to view members of other groups less favorably compared to one's own group. The video emphasizes this concept by discussing how it can manifest in various forms, such as sports team rivalries, and how it can lead to negative attitudes and behaviors towards out-group members.

💡Social Identity

Social identity is the part of an individual's self-concept derived from their perceived membership in social groups. The video explains that the formation of social identity can lead to the preference of one's own group over others, which is a fundamental aspect of both in-group and out-group biases.

💡Resource Competition

Resource competition refers to the struggle for limited resources among individuals or groups. The video suggests that out-group bias may have roots in primitive times when groups competed for basic needs like food, water, and shelter, thus favoring one's own group for survival.

💡Xenophobia

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners. In the video, it is cited as an example of out-group bias, where the fear of immigrants taking jobs is used to illustrate how out-group bias can influence political views and actions.

💡Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Experiment

The Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Experiment was a social study conducted by Jane Elliott to demonstrate the effects of discrimination. The video uses this experiment to show how quickly children can develop out-group bias based on a superficial characteristic like eye color and how it can lead to discrimination.

💡Stanford Prison Experiment

The Stanford Prison Experiment was a psychological study that examined the roles of authority and obedience. The video references this experiment to illustrate how in-group and out-group dynamics can escalate into severe conflict and violence within a short time.

💡Out-group Homogeneity Bias

Out-group homogeneity bias is the tendency to perceive members of an out-group as more similar to each other than they actually are. The video explains that this bias can lead to stereotyping, where individuals in an out-group are assumed to share the same unfavorable traits, regardless of their individual differences.

💡Stereotypes

Stereotypes are widely held but fixed and oversimplified ideas about a group of people. The video discusses how stereotypes are a manifestation of out-group homogeneity bias, where individuals are judged based on the perceived characteristics of their group rather than their unique qualities.

💡Fairness

Fairness in this context refers to the idea of treating all individuals equally without bias. The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of recognizing and overcoming out-group bias to ensure fairness and make impartial decisions.

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