Julia Czermerys

Abstract:

As we grow up and are exposed to different experiences we develop opinions on different important things, including how we view racial and ethnic groups differently than our own. This can be even more prevalent when someone is part of an in-group. An in-group is the group that one is a part of and typically people have positive views of these group members, while an outgroup is anyone in a group different than your own. Group identities and inter group dynamics can have extremely important impacts on the way we make choices, including how we vote. This idea is extremely important because it can affect the representation of different groups within politics and different policies that are created. We all have implicit as well as explicit beliefs that have a direct impact on the way we view the world. We rely on social cues and the opinions of those around us as well as past experiences to make decisions. This results in oftentimes using prejudice about outgroups to make decisions.