I contacted Dave Myers, author of the Social Psychology text I use (as well as the introductory text I use), to ask him about our name-calling dilemma. Here's his reply, which he gave me permission to post: In this case there are different terms for the same phenomenon, so I think there's more than one right answer. I went with *outgroup homogeneity effect* . . . and here's a couple more authoritative sources:
Here's from the *APA Dictionary of Psychology*: *outgroup homogeneity bias* the tendency to assume that the members of other groups are very similar to each other, particularly in contrast to the assumed diversity of the membership of one's own groups. And here's from the forthcoming *Cambridge Dictionary of Psychology:* *out-group homogeneity bias* *n.* A cognitive distortion in which humans have a tendency to ignor individual differences among members of groups to which they do not believe they belong as well as to ignore contrary evidence in their beliefs about the out-group. And more from Dave about the "own-race" term: Yes, that's also commonly used (though, curiously, own-race bias seems not to be a defined term in either of the new psychology dictionaries). Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
