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The reward value of stereotypes: Evaluating the contribution of the neural reward circuitry to the persistence of stereotypes

Description du projet

Comprendre la neurobiologie des stéréotypes

Les villes, les communautés, les écoles et les lieux de travail européens sont de plus en plus divers. Le concept de diversité reconnaît les avantages découlant des différences, mais les préjugés sociaux et les stéréotypes (des attributs généralisés de manière excessive et associés aux membres d’un groupe social) continuent d’entretenir le conflit et la discrimination entre groupes. Le projet Rewarding Stereotype, financé par l’UE, examine la base neurobiologique à l’origine de la persévérance des stéréotypes. Il suggère que les stéréotypes et les informations liées à ces stéréotypes suscitent une réponse neuronale de récompense, renforçant ainsi le stéréotype. L’équipe du projet proposera des interventions à mettre en place dans les politiques sociales, institutionnelles et éducatives pour promouvoir une société juste.

Objectif

Social interactions are guided by stereotypical knowledge about others: Should I turn to a male or female friend for emotional support? Should I be concerned about the foreign-looking person walking behind me? In the past few decades the endeavour to reduce cultural stereotypes has proved to be very difficult and often unsuccessful. The current research program promotes a novel proposal regarding the underlying neurobiological basis of stereotype perseverance: the “rewarding stereotype hypothesis”. In an interdisciplinary integration of models and theories, I suggest that stereotypes and stereotype-consistent information evoke a neural reward response, leading to powerful feedback that reinforces culturally-pervasive stereotypes and their associated behaviors. A battery of experiments encompassing neuroimaging and computational studies utilizing state-of-the-art tools will test the core tenets of the hypothesis. This will be completed by observing the hypothesized mechanism and then by its manipulation. Importantly, the putative sensitivity of stereotypes to rewards suggests that altering the reward scheme for non-stereotypical behaviors can have a strong impact on decisions and behavior. Following initial proof of concept, I suggest several scalable intervention examples to explore the potential implications on educational, institutional and social policies promoting a just society. Effective communication of these efforts holds the potential for a long term improvement of society. Altogether, the current proposal combines the complementary strengths of the researcher and the host to establish the building blocks for a new view of stereotypes, one that suggests that we can render them less pervasive if we consider their underlying reward value.

Mots‑clés

Coordinateur

BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV
Contribution nette de l'UE
€ 185 464,32