Stereotypes and Social Cognition

Are stereotypes intrinsically erroneous? Do they have pragmatic value? What constitutes an adequate social judgement? These and other questions are answered in this ambitious book, which both advances a novel perspective and provides a coherent overview of key arguments and empirical developments in research on stereotypes.

Following a definition of stereotypes, the authors cover a wide range of literatures and theoretical perspectives to present a comprehensive critique of the subject. The text - which has a preface by Susan Fiske - reviews the classical work on psychodynamic and authoritarian theories through to contemporary sociocultural research. Additionally, the authors offer a close analysis of key theoretical approaches including social identity theory, social cognition and self-categorization theory, and explore relevant cross-cultural issues.