The article by Matlin depicted the various forms in which serotypes are formed. The main focus, however, was on the formation of stereotypes through the social cognitive approach. According to this theory, there exists a relationship between the cognitive processes of the brain and the beliefs that the individual leans and takes up according to his or her upbringing.
The existence of the concept of stereotypes tends to hamper our cognitive processes making it inaccurate. These inaccuracies can be created in the form of gender polarization, different expectations based on gender as well as the fact that people tend to remember information based on gender. Gender polarization takes form when the individual divides people into the categories of t male and female. When this happens, the individual tends to see everything in the environment as either being a male or a female. As a result, the individual also starts to have different expectations from the male and the females, whereby prescribing their specific roles in society. Form amongst these two categories, the individual is more likely to see the male as a norm, making the female a disparity from the norm. However, this categorization enables the individual to remember gender-consistent information more aptly than gender inconsistent information.
The media tends to encourage the divide between the genders and the stereotypes. This can be represented by the fact that women are normally underrepresented in the media, regardless of the genre. The male is again represented here as a dominant party. Females are also more likely to be used and depicted in the media for decorative purposes than men. The female body is usually put forward as a temptation and attraction for the audience. The males are usually represented in a matter-of-fact manner. Aside from this, the males and the females are also shown in the media as conducting and carrying out different activities. The men are usually shown as the ones working out of the house and making the important decision of life. The media targeted towards men tends to be focused on long-term objectives and goals like career planning, education, and independence, while the media being targeted towards females usually is focused on improving self appearance. Moreover, women of color are represented in a more biased manner than white females. Black women are usually shown as being very voluptuous and decorative items, while Asian, Hispanics as well as Native American women are usually not even depicted in magazines.
The most compelling discussion in the article was that concerning the representation of the different genders in the media. It actually tends to open one’s mind to the obvious, which we normally do not register in our lives. Prior to reading the article, however, I was aware of certain issues pertaining to gender stereotypes. This mostly dealt with the ability of the society to form different roles and expectancies for the males and the females.
Through the article, I was able to learn the different statistics about gender inequality and stereotypes in both the media as well individuals tend to think and perform their cognitive information processing. However, I would like to research and get access to more information pertaining to how people think and why they form stereotypes in the first place. I would want to conduct research pertaining to the fact that does the tendency to form gender stereotypes gets triggered by our upbringing and home environment, or is it a personal option.
References
Matlin, W.M., Bimbos and Rambos: The Cognitive Basis of Gender Stereotypes, SUNY at Geneseo.
Terry, W.S., (2005), Learning and Memory: Basic Principles, Processes, and Procedures, Ed: 3, Publisher: Allyn & Bacon, ISBN-10: 032127377X