Stereotypes and stereotyping

by C. Neil Macrae

Stereotypes - structured sets of beliefs about the characteristics of members of social categories - influence how people attend to, encode, represent, and retrieve information about others, and how they judge and respond to them. A comprehensive overview of contemporary research, this volume highlights important approaches that have considerably expanded our understanding of stereotyping in recent years. Integrating cognitive, motivational, emotional, and linguistic perspectives, Stereotypes & Stereotyping demonstrates the diversity and richness of the field today and illuminates new directions for future research. Following a broad overview that defines stereotypes, the book addresses how they are formed and developed in chapters that cover the social psychology of stereotypes, the impact of physical appearance on their formation, and methods of assessing their accuracy. Internationally renowned authors consider the function and use of stereotypes, exploring their complex interrelati