Why does the brain generalize

others into outgroups?

By: Dylan Winger
Why this question
I chose this question because Ive known about it for a while and know it is relevant
to everybody on Earth because we all do it.

The second reason is because its just one of the first things I thought of, so that
affected it.

My final reason I chose it was because it was one of the most specific topics that was
related to me, was appropriate for school and wasnt related to video games. (I am
sick of doing projects on video games.)
What I already knew
I already know that generalization is the root of most discrimination,
and all stereotypes.

No other person I know has talked about it of their own volition. If I

have talked about it with someone I started the conversation.

I also know that out-groups are groups of people that do not belong to
one of your in-groups.
What I wanted to learn
First, I wanted to establish exactly what a stereotype is.

Second, I wanted to learn why the brain does this.

Third, I wanted to learn how I can prevent myself from doing this in the future.

Fourth, I wanted to learn how the brain does it.

How I did my research
Due to the fact that I dont know anybody that specializes in this field (cognitive psychology) I had
to ask people like my parents and friends about the subject, they didnt have very much to say
about the subject.

I did the majority of my research via the internet mostly using Google Scholar, which was a little
hard to sift through due to many of the studies involving complicated statistics. I also used normal
Google though it was less helpful.
What is a stereotype
Stereotypes consist of descriptive concepts that are associated with membership in a social
category...and tend to be thought of as characteristics of category members. (Bodenhouser).

Basically what I believe the quote above is saying is, stereotypes are traits that are imposed on an
entire groups of people, despite not all of them having that trait.
Why does it happen (Cognitive)
One of the first things I learned was that the brain generalizes due to sheer laziness; the brain is a
very efficient organ so until you are a part of a group it doesnt matter what subgroups others are
in, so we just put them into one larger group. Thus humanity gets overarching groups like nerds,
jocks, and hipsters.

Much of our social perception goes beyond the information given. We make inferences, we hold
assumptions about certain categories of people. (Hinton)
Why does it happen (Cultural)
In the great blooming, burning confusion of the world we pick out what our culture has already
defined for us. (Lippman) Our culture and the environment in which we exist may also has an
effect on the stereotypes we believe in, for example if someone grows up in a home where everybody
they love and respect is constantly spewing racial stereotypes they are more likely to believe in said
stereotypes despite facts, and reason.
How can I stop myself
I have learned that being conscious about what your brain thinks of others really helps; also, just
trying to learn about other groups and what subgroups are in them really helps. Assuming things
about people perpetuates this process. So in order to mostly stop this process all someone would
need to is stop judging people for anything that they couldnt choose and instead judge them for
their choices.

I also may have a harder time stopping with certain groups that I disagree with on a personal level.
For example I have a hard time not stereotyping Republicans due to experiences I had growing up,
my family's tendency to lean left, and living in my weird personal bubble on the internet (by which I
mean the media I see.)
How the brain does it
I could not find anything on the processes that occur in the brain that
cause us to do this though I can surmise that psychologists dont know
how it works either The question why we stereotype has occupied
psychologists since the 1920s. (Hinton).
What I think about this
I believe this is where the majority of prejudice comes from, though most major prejudice is only
helped along by this process they also come from being human and our evolution being tailored to
being wary about new concepts. Stereotyping ignores the variability within a group of people
(Hinton)

I also believe that it is no longer an evolutionary advantage to do it, due to the fact that it ends up
perpetuating hatred of others, which is unhealthy for both parties.

Finally, I believe that this is a very under-discussed topic amongst the general population. (at least
in the U.S, Im not sure about other countries)
Bibliography
Bodenhausen G., and Niel C. Macros. Advances in Social Cognition. Vol. XI. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates , 1998. Print.

Hinton, P. Stereotypes, Cognition and Culture. East Sussex: Psychology Press, 2000. Print.

Lippman, Walter. Public Opinion. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1922. Print.

Wikipedia, Contributors. Ingroups and Outgroups. N.p.: Wikipedia, n.d. Wikipedia. Web. 29 Jan.
2017.