Comparing Oranges with Oranges: A Classroom Exercise to Bust the Myth That Stereotypes Wane Over Time
摘要
People tend to believe that stereotypes only affect initial impressions of another person, and that this influence of stereotypes on impressions wanes the more that we are around and work with that person. As a consequence, leaders, employees, and students have a hard time understanding the pervasive, biasing effects of stereotypes on their own perceptions, attributions, and behaviors. Grounded in experiential learning, the oranges exercise lets participants experience how misguided their belief is in the accuracy of their impressions. It also shows in what ways participants try to hold on to their beliefs, even when they are confronted with the inaccuracy of their stereotypes. As such, it is a powerful exercise for giving participants a reality check and teaching them about the strong, enduring influence of stereotypes on perceptions, attributions, and behaviors. In this chapter, I provide detailed instructions for how to run the oranges exercise and what topics can be discussed and addressed based on the exercise.