Product Description: This groundbreaking work by leading social psychologists, who have all contributed in important ways to the psychology of group perception, focuses in particular on three interrelated issues: (1) whether groups are seen to be diverse or relatively homogeneous; (2) whether groups are seen as real and stable or only transitory and ephemeral; and (3) whether group membership derives from some essential quality of the members or rather is based on social constructions...read more

Are stereotypes intrinsically erroneous? Do they have pragmatic value? What constitutes an adequate social judgement? These and other questions are answered in this ambitious book, which both advances a novel perspective and provides a coherent overview of key arguments and empirical developments in research on stereotypes. Following a definition of stereotypes, the authors cover a wide range of literatures and theoretical perspectives to present a comprehensive critique of the subject. The text - which has a preface by Susan Fiske - reviews the classical work on psychodynamic and authoritarian theories through to contemporary sociocultural research. Additionally, the authors offer a close analysis of key theoretical approa