Awareness short-circuits the stereotypes hardwired into our brains.
That?s what McDaniel College psychology professor Wendy Morris hopes to communicate to thepublic in a forum Thursday during the school?s Diversity Week.
“People generally assume stereotypes are true, and we do this unconsciously,” she said. “We only notice the information that supports them.”
Our brains automatically apply stereotypes ? the smart Asian, for example, or the lazy, poor person ? as time-savers that keep us from the overwhelming task of knowing others beyond easily identifiable categories, she said.
But through next week?s workshop, Morris hopes to enlighten participants by taping an adjective to their foreheads ? intelligent, funny, shy ? and asking them to debate a topic. The activity is designed to demonstrate how perceptions guide how we treat others, and that someone who is considered smart, for example, will get more time to speak.
By expecting more out of people, we can actually elicit positive behaviors from them, Morris said.
She cited a study by psychologist Robert Rosenthal, who told teachers that some of their students were going to bloom academically that year, even though the students were picked at random and kept in the dark about the experiment. Sure enough, the students did blossom in class ? because teachers treated them differently.
Annual Diversity Week
» Paint tiles for the “Tile Wall Project: Reflection ME/WE,” 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday in Decker Center.
» Watch the film “Color of Fear” at 7 p.m. Monday in Decker Auditorium.
» Meet Costa Rican author Uriel Quesada at 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Hoover Library.
» Discuss issues and concerns currently affecting the American Indian community at 7 p.m. Wednesday in McDaniel Lounge.
» Participate in Morris? forum, “How stereotypes shape and mis-shape social interactions,” at 11:45 a.m. Thursday in Academic Hall 109.
» Call 410-857-2294for more information.
