Stereotypes are the byproduct of how people think and learn.

When these categories are charged with emotions, they can influence behavior.

Understanding stereotypes can help people make more intentional evaluations about other people.

This post was co-authored with Rebecca Schlegel, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University.

What do you think of when you hear the word stereotype? This term has become highly polarizing in today’s society. It probably brings to mind ideas like social justice; diversity, equity, and inclusion training; meritocracy; oppression; wokeness; and equity. You probably have emotions about these ideas, possibly strong ones, and have attitudes about what we should do as a society about these things. But what comes to mind is probably not what psychologists mean when they study stereotypes, and people are often surprised by the role of emotions in shaping what we think about others.

Mental Categories Help People Learn and Navigate the World

When viewed through a psychological lens, stereotypes are not good or bad. They are byproducts of how people think. The human mind operates by creating categories or “bins” and using those bins to collect related information. As children are learning language, for example, they might create a bin called “dogs,” and they place everything that is four-legged and furry into that bin. This leads to some common errors, such as children calling a cat a “dog” because it is four-legged and furry. Typically, these errors are corrected by others (a parent explains it is not a dog, but a cat), and the categories get adjusted as children learn what information goes in what bin. This structure is critical for functioning in the........

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