Belief perseverance and cognitive error are two psychological phenomena that can play a significant role in racism. Belief perseverance is the tendency to stick to one’s beliefs even when faced with contradictory evidence. Cognitive error is a mental process that leads to inaccurate thinking. One way that belief perseverance can contribute to racism is by making it difficult for people to change their racist beliefs, even when they are presented with evidence that those beliefs are wrong (Baron & Byrne, 2016). For example, a person who believes that Black people are less intelligent than white people may be reluctant to change that belief, even if they see evidence that Black people perform just as well as white people on intelligence tests.
Another way that belief perseverance can contribute to racism is by making it difficult for people to recognize their own biases. For example, a person who believes that they are not racist may still hold racist beliefs without being aware of it. This can lead to them making racist decisions or statements without realizing it. Cognitive error can also contribute to racism in a number of ways. One way is through the use of stereotypes. Stereotypes are generalizations about entire groups of people that are often inaccurate and harmful (Baron, R. A., & Byrne, D. 2016). For example, the stereotype that Black people are lazy can lead to people believing that Black people are less likely to work hard, even when there is no evidence to support this belief (Pettigrew, T. F., & Meertens, R. W. 1993).
Another way that cognitive error can contribute to racism is through the use of confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out and interpret information in a way that confirms one’s existing beliefs (Kruglanski, A. W., & Ajzen, I. 2009). For example, a person who believes that Black people are criminals may be more likely to notice news stories about Black people committing crimes, even if those stories are not representative of the reality of crime rates among Black people (Gilliam, F. D., & Iyengar, S. 2000).
Finally, cognitive error can also contribute to racism through the use of mental shortcuts. Mental shortcuts are heuristics or rules of thumb, that people use to make decisions quickly and efficiently. However, mental shortcuts can sometimes lead to errors in thinking. For example, the heuristic of availability bias is the tendency to base judgments on the information that is most readily available to us. This can lead to people overestimating the prevalence of stereotypes, such as the stereotype that Black people are criminals. It is important to note that belief perseverance and cognitive error are not unique to racism. They can also play a role in other forms of prejudice and discrimination. However, they are particularly relevant to racism because they can make it difficult to change racist beliefs and behaviors.
References:
Baron, R. A., & Byrne, D. (2016). Social psychology (13th ed.). Pearson.
Pettigrew, T. F., & Meertens, R. W. (1993). Attitudes: Representation, measurement, and change. Brooks/Cole.
Kruglanski, A. W., & Ajzen, I. (2009). Basic concepts in social psychology (4th ed.). Psychology Press.
Gilliam, F. D., & Iyengar, S. (2000). Prime time and prejudice: How television frames racial issues. Princeton University Press.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Bullying is a topic that I feel incredibly passionate about, and I have experienced firsthand the damage it can cause. On average, there are 150 million adolescents between the ages of 13-15 that experience bullying and the repercussions it can cause. This statistic equates to an average of one out of three in that age group that experience bullying within their academic environment. As you stated, descriptive norms are what the teens view as typical behavior, even if that perception is not correct. It’s time to become aligned and make a collective stand against these norms that are having devastating effects on our youth. It’s time to shift these social norms and create behavioral change. This should be frontline by the adults involved, including parents, teachers, local government, and the community. If we recognize the devastating effects, it’s time to promote positive change. This is going to be a continued uphill battle, as we have already seen a slight decrease in bullying, but there is still more that can be done. There needs to be universal policies that are implemented that are comprehensive anti-bullying policies that clearly define the restricted behaviors and the consequences those behaviors will have. Adults must model respectful behavior they want the students to absorb and mirror in their actions. These new environmental environments will help promote positive social norms and address the harmful norms that are being eliminated by actions.
(2020, January 1). Social and Behaviour Change Strategies for Addressing Violence Against Children In and Around Schools: Case Studies and Lessons Learned. Unicef. https://www.unicef.org/media/97711/file
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.), SAGE Publications Inc.