The article “Stereotypes and Prejudice: Their Automatic and Controlled Components” by Patricia G. Devine has been very well presented in regard to the study it presents. The article has one specific purpose and that is that of exploring studies that show how stereotypes as well as personal beliefs play a crucial role in reaching conclusions about stereotyped groups. The writer also explores various processes which instigate stereotyping which are automatic and controlled mechanisms which are involved in determining the cause of stereotyping and prejudice as well as the desired outcome on the groups involved. The people involved are also illustrated well because they also point out the various angles that stereotyping takes. From the high prejudiced persons to the low prejudiced person and their positions and how both handle their angle of prejudice and stereotyping. The hypothesis clearly states how stereotypes and prejudice relate with each other and the effects that both have on each other. This is quite relevant to the paper as it seeks to illustrate through the three studies that have been done. At the end of it all, it is clear that the two heavily rely on each other though the degrees of both vary but are directly proportional to each other. Beliefs are also thought to play a major role in propelling prejudice and stereotyping as is people’s position in society.
The variables have been clearly outlined. These are the controlled and automatic processes in regard to the members of different racial groups and genders. Both high and low prejudice persons are stated. This notwithstanding, the definitions of who these people are is not well elaborated therefore leaving a person with a lot of questions therefore prompting one to carry out a research on which these people are before resuming with the study of the article. Even though this is the case, the controlled and automatic processes are clearly stated and illustrated therefore giving the reader a better understanding of what these two terms refer to.
The methodologies employed include the use of a model which seeks to focus on how the automatic and controlled processes affect the overall idea of stereotyping and the issue of personal beliefs too is brought to focus. The present model which is the centre of focus talks of how the target group membership deals with the stereotype in the perceiver’s memory (Billig 1985). The studies conducted go on to check the validity of some assumptions passed for instance, the fact that high and low prejudice people are very much aware of the cultural stereotype. The method involved here used white students and the stereotyped group that was focused on was Blacks. Another study focuses on automatic priming, the prejudice level and social judgement. Here, the major focus is on automatic racial stereotyping. The effect of automatic stereotype activation was also examined. The target group was wide as political, gender and racial items were used. The group that helped work out this one was a group of students from two academic semesters who were taking a specific course. The other study that was conducted had its central focus on how high and low prejudice people could be involved in controlled processes in an effort to inhibit prejudiced responses in a manner that was conscious and thought provoking. The target group was the high and low prejudice people who were supposed to give their input regarding the stereotype group Blacks (Ehrlich, H. J. (1973).
The methods involved may be good but they are somehow biased. In the first study, the people used to carry out the research are white students from a class. One wonders why it had to be a typical white group considering the fact that the central focus is in Blacks (Porter 1971). To add salt to injury, it is a group of students who at their age might be very biased. Considering the racial environment surrounding the Black minority group, it may have been prudent to use students or people from both races and many other races. The experiment may not have produced the intended results due to this fact. Again, in the second study, students at their first level of college education are used. This is a group of people that to some extent may not be better placed to conduct such a study because one may never know their social backgrounds and the reason as to why they may give the answers that they give. Their answers may have been orchestrated by factors beyond the study itself, their lives and backgrounds and this may not have given accurate information that could have made the study relevant to the subject of discussion
Findings
The findings show that racial stereotype does really exist and the concerned parties are aware of it. Both the high and low prejudice people have their beliefs in regard to the stereotype group. Also automatic and controlled stereotype activation plays a crucial role on both the high and low prejudice people which is either way positive or negative. In all these, controlled processes do inhibit effects of automatic processing. Even if this is the case, the findings are debatable.
Conclusion
All in all, it is clear that stereotype and prejudice go hand in hand as shown by Devine. They do also depend on individual attitude and beliefs. The overall study however takes place in a monitored environment and therefore the results arrived at may not be accurate because in as much as one may say that the stereotype and prejudice may or may not be there, the bottom line is that under real circumstances, prejudice and stereotype is deep rooted in society.
References
Billig, M. (1985). Prejudice, categorization, and Particularization: From a perceptual to a rhetorical approach. European Journal Of Social Physiology. 15, 79- 103.
Devine, P. G. (1988). Stereotype Assessment : Theoretical and Methodological Issues. Unpublished manuscript, University of Wisconsin- Madison
Ehrlich, H. J. (1973). The social Psychology of Prejudice. New York: Wiley
Porter, J. D. (1971). Black Child, White Child: The Development of Racial Attitudes. Cambridge: Havard University press
