Stereotypes

In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example, an expectation about the group's personality, preferences, appearance or ability. Stereotypes make information processing easier by allowing the perceiver to rely on previously stored knowledge in place of incoming information. Stereotypes are often faulty and resistant to new information. Research on the accuracy of stereotypes has yielded mixed results: studies on national-origin and astrological-sign stereotypes found them to be inaccurate, while studies on gender stereotypes found them more likely to reflect reality. Although stereotypes generally have negative implications, they may also be positive or neutral. They can also be broken down into two categories: explicit stereotypes, which are conscious, and implicit stereotypes, which are subconscious.