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

Informazioni relative al progetto

Rewarding Stereotype

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 838282

DOI

10.3030/838282

Progetto chiuso

Data della firma CE 24 Aprile 2019

Data di avvio 1 Settembre 2019

Data di completamento 12 Febbraio 2022

Finanziato da

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Costo totale

€ 185 464,32

Contributo UE

€ 185 464,32

Coordinato da

BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV
Israel

Descrizione del progetto

Comprensione della neurobiologia degli stereotipi

In Europa, le città e le comunità, le scuole e i luoghi di lavoro stanno diventando sempre più diversificati. Il concetto di diversità riconosce i benefici che si possono trarre dalle differenze, ma i pregiudizi sociali e gli stereotipi (attributi troppo generalizzati associati ai membri di un gruppo sociale) continuano ad alimentare conflitti e discriminazioni tra i gruppi. Il progetto Rewarding Stereotype, finanziato dall’UE, sta esaminando le basi neurobiologiche inerenti alla perseveranza degli stereotipi. Esso suggerisce che gli stereotipi e le informazioni coerenti con gli stereotipi evocano una risposta di ricompensa neurale, che rafforza lo stereotipo. Il gruppo di ricerca proporrà interventi da attuare nelle politiche educative, istituzionali e sociali per promuovere una società giusta.

Obiettivo

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.

Parole chiave

• Reward

Programma(i)

• H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions PROGRAMMA PRINCIPALE
  
• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
  

Argomento(i)

• MSCA-IF-2018 - Individual Fellowships
  

Meccanismo di finanziamento

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

Invito a presentare proposte

H2020-MSCA-IF-2018

Coordinatore

BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV

• Contributo netto dell'UE: € 185 464,32
• Indirizzo: . ; 84105 Beer Sheva ; Israele
• Tipo di attività: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Costo totale: € 185 464,32