Okuzeka
Psychology vocabulary · Social Psychology

Stereotype

Meaning in psychology, with examples

/ˈsteriətaɪp/nounCore term

In psychology, stereotype means: A simplified, widely shared belief about the characteristics of people in a particular group, applied to individuals regardless of who they really are.

In Turkish: kalıp yargı, stereotip

How it is used

A key term in social psychology, alongside prejudice and discrimination. Researchers talk about gender stereotypes, stereotype threat and implicit stereotypes. It is also a verb: to be stereotyped as something.

Example sentences

  1. Gender stereotypes can influence which careers children see as possible for themselves.

  2. Stereotype threat may lower test performance when people fear confirming a negative stereotype.

Common collocations

  • gender stereotypes
  • stereotype threat
  • negative stereotype
  • challenge a stereotype
  • prejudiceA negative attitude or feeling towards people because they belong to a particular group, formed without enough knowledge or experience of them as individuals.
  • attitudeA fairly lasting evaluation of a person, group, object or idea that combines beliefs, feelings and a tendency to act in a positive or negative way.
  • social identityThe part of a person's self-concept that comes from belonging to social groups, such as a nation, profession, team or religion, and from the value attached to that membership.
  • cognitive biasA systematic error in thinking or judgement that makes people depart from logic or evidence in predictable ways, such as confirmation bias.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Social Psychology

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.