Analysis of Prejudice and Solutions in Social Psychology

This assignment analyzes prejudice from a social psychology perspective, focusing on a scenario involving an elementary school teacher dealing with a diverse student body. The paper defines prejudice, differentiating its affective, cognitive, and behavioral components. It explores how factors like gender, race, ethnicity, and religion can contribute to prejudice within the classroom setting. Drawing on concepts from Jane Elliot's work and the Robbers Cave study, the student emphasizes the importance of fostering cohesion and teaching students to work together, regardless of their differences. The assignment also discusses the contact hypothesis and the jigsaw technique as methods to reduce prejudice. Finally, it touches upon empirical and diagnostic methods used to understand and address the children's needs, suggesting the implementation of mandatory respect and disciplinary mechanisms within the classroom.

RUNNING HEAD: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
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Name
Institution
Social Psychology

RUNNING HEAD: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
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1. Prejudice is defined as an aggressive attitude and treatment directed at people in a distinct
group given the membership of that particular group.
The components of prejudice are:
a. Gender- this is simply the state of being male or female. In this particular scenario the children
are composed of both genders. Gender can be a source of prejudice if the male children look
down upon the female children.
b. Racial and ethnicity identity- this is in relation to a race on the racial part while ethnicity is the
fact of belonging to a particular social group owing to similarity in nationality or cultural
practices. This can cause division in the class as other children may disrespect others based on
their ethnicity identity. An example of this is that the class has both black American students
and Asians.
a. Religion- this is the belief and worship of a superior being and controlling the universe especially
as God or gods. Different children profess different religion and others may start to see their
fellow as different and may not want to associate with them and this brings prejudice. The class
has children of different origin from Asians to first nations who profess different religions.
2. Drawing an analogy to Jane Eliot’s work I would illustrate how superficial skin color can create
division between groups of persons and it all narrows to racism. Some people portrays to be
superior than others because of their skin color and looks down upon those whose skin color is
not close to anything like theirs. This has been a huge topic between the Africans and the whites
because until lately racism is still occurring especially when some people refuse to shake hands
with others of another race. They harbor the strong feelings and negative reactions towards
such people because of their skin color.
3. In comparison to Muzafer Sherif and colleagues’ classic robbers cave study it would be prudent
to be keen at all times not to turn the children of different ethnicities against each other owing
to this study’s view. Cohesion is needed among this students and given that they are young they
have to be taught on how to work together and that the skin color does not matter as we are all
human beings. This will be very important so that we can build our nations. Racism is a thing of
the past many countries and states have put it at their back including Canada.
4. Contact hypothesis has been defined in different fields including criminology, sociology and
psychology a one of the most reliable ways of upgrading among groups arguing or in conflict.
This ensures that their differences are solved so that they can be united and work towards a
common course. It is also known as the intergroup contact theory and Gordon W. was credited
for its development.
5. The jigsaw technique is a method of strategically organizing the students such that they all
depend on one another. If the contact hypothesis is employed in such setting it will come to
succeed because this will aid in the process of uniting the students. The students with different
ethnicities have to communicate with each other so as to get to access some things or even
answers to. The students are organized into groups and they are able to coordinate with each
other so as to achieve success. I would establish several conditions in the jigsaw class such
mandatory respect among all the children and also ensuring there is disciplinary mechanism to
regulate the actions of all the children.

RUNNING HEAD: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
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6. Empirical work is way of gaining knowledge by direct and indirect observation or what people go
through, diagnostic test is any method used to collect clinic information. Aptitude tests gages a
person’s core potential of common skills such as verbal and numerical. There then problem
emanated from the children’s reactions and after the aptitude test it was kind of clear that they
were not that good at the test hence going for the diagnostic tests so as to understand the
children’s need and see if they can cooperate together given that they have a problem with
working together so other measures have to put in place necessitating the need for diagnostic
test.