Stereotype Accuracy

Stereotype accuracy is discussed in this interesting book chapter from researcher Todd Nelson.

Our review has shown that it’s logically incoherent to define stereotypes as inaccurate, that is it unusual (but not unheard of) for stereotypes to be highly discrepant from reality, that the correlations of stereotypes with criteria are among the largest effects in all of social psychology, that people rarely rely on stereotypes when judging individuals, and that, sometimes, even when they do rely on stereotypes, it increases rather than reduces their accuracy. Many scholars, scientists, and people of good will, we do not doubt, will find these conclusions unbearable.