How Does Stereotype Form?

Stereotype is a social perception of an individual in terms of group membership and physical attribution. It is a generalization of a group and then attributed to the members of that group. Also, it is a form of social categorization that affects the behavior of those who hold stereotypes and those who are labeled by the stereotypes. Stereotypes can be formed by individuals’ personal experiences, or either illusory correlations. Illusory correlation exists between two variables and is based on limited information. There are two types of illusory correlation: expectancy-based and distinctiveness-based. Expectancy-based illusory correlation causes us to see relationships between variables due to our pre-existing knowledge. Distinctiveness-based illusory correlation happens when a relationship is believed to exist due to focusing too much on the information that stands out. One study that investigated the formation of stereotypes is Hamilton and Gifford (1976). 

The researchers conducted a lab experiment with undergraduate students to investigate whether students would demonstrate illusory correlation when attributing positive or negative characteristics of a certain group. The participants were shown a series of slides that showed positive and negative traits about members of Group A (majority) and Group B (minority). Then, they were asked to rank the members, and given a booklet to determine which of the statements were done by group A or B. It was found that in trait rating, Group A ranked higher than Group B for positive traits, and Group B ranked higher than Group A for negative traits. In the booklet, the participants recalled more positive traits about Group A and more negative traits about Group B

This is because group B is smaller in number, the negative traits appear more distinct and to be representative of group B, showing distinctiveness-based illusory correlation. Also, the participants utilized illusory correlation when predicting the negative traits by the minority groups – even though there were similar ratios of positive and negative statements, the participants still overestimated the number of negative traits done by the minority group, showing expectancy-based illusory correlation. This study shows why negative stereotypes are more common in minority groups than in majorities.