[Paula Gray]

Biases that Bind
The Role of Stereotypes in Decision-Making Processes

Based on the Research of Galen Bodenhausen, a Social Psychologist

In many situations, stereotypes do more harm than good. But situations exist in which stereotypes can be a useful tool for efficient decision making. In medical decision making, for example, demographic categories often are undeniably relevant: a physician would be unlikely to diagnose a male patient with menopause.

Nevertheless, it is important to understand the potential pitfalls of stereotyping. Galen Bodenhausen (Professor of Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management) points out that people tend to overestimate the accuracy of stereotypes. Many cognitive mechanisms lead to false confirmation of stereotypes and can ultimately lead to erroneous decision making.

Consider the common stereotype some male drivers hold regarding female drivers. A male driver might claim female drivers are inferior, often justifying that claim by citing examples from personal experience: “Well, in fact, just today I was driving to work and was cut off, and sure enough, there was a woman driving the car.” The problem with such logic is that people tend to more readily recall examples that tend to affirm—rather than disprove—their stereotypic beliefs. The above male driver may have been cut off in traffic by other men just as often as by women, but he simply does not recall those instances. In his mind, the negative experiences he has had with female drivers far outnumber those he has had with male drivers. Clearly, to confirm such a stereotype would require a consistent tally of bad experiences for both male and female drivers.

The above example is just one of a number of biases that can distort memory in a way that falsely confirms stereotypes. Even in cases where stereotypes are partially accurate, the magnitude of the relationships between category membership and individual traits can be obscured. In any case, it is clear that a number of cognitive processes can produce illusory relationships between group membership and individual traits.

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