This week we are discussing some of the effects of the constructions of social identities. Below is a link to a political ad for Dan Fanelli, a Florida Republican illustrating the construction of Arab identity.Dan Fanelli, a Florida Republican hoping to emerge from a competitive Republican primary field to challenge Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson, has released an ad in which he appears to argue that the United States should engage in racial profiling to fight terror. What is your response to this?
An effect of these images is stereotyping. While we discussed in class that stereotyping is a normal cognitive process, we also agreed that it can be harmful. Stereotype threat posits that people who are stereotyped are likely to internalize negative social perceptions such that it could harm their ability to perform and succeed. Below is a link to Anderson Cooper's replication of the Clark Doll Study. Review the videos.
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/17/ac360-series-doll-study-research/
What are your thoughts about the harmful effects of stereotyping? Are assumptions of stereotype threat valid today? What do you think is a solution?
