Stereotypes exaggerate a genuine kernel of actual group difference

Evidence

In thinking about where perceived groups differences come from, Allport argued that there exists a core of actual group differences which become magnified by prejudice so that the resulting stereotypic beliefs about outgroups are more extreme, negative, and overgeneralized than warranted by the data. He gave the example of mutual perceptions by the Russians and the Americans during the Cold War. Each group started with an observed difference rooted in reality, but these perceptions became negative caricatures of what the groups were actually like. The prejudiced person then comes to invoke group differences as a justification for his or her prejudiced attitude (see also Jost & Hamilton, ch. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 835

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the grafting/tamarisk article’s theme of metaphors built on a true kernel, and to Robbers Cave / minimal group studies where a grain of truth gets magnified.