Below is the discussion prompt from my Psychology professor from my "Social Psychology" class:
Stereotyping not only influences our perception of other people (confirmation bias), but can also lead us to interact with people in ways that influence their behavior (self-fulfilling prophecy).
For this written discussion assignment pick only ONE scenario- Choose either between "teachers/students" OR choose "police officers/suspects" and explain how the either teachers` or police officers` racial stereotypes can lead to "confirmation bias" and "self-fulfilling prophecy". Make sure to think carefully and apply both "confirmation bias" and "self-fulfilling prophecy" terms accurately in your written discussion assignment.
I`ll give you an example of what I`m looking in this assignment. I will use a "waiter/patron" as an example. If the waiter has a stereotype that young patrons do not tip well, she may display confirmation bias by remembering times that young patrons have not tipped well (and ignoring times when young patrons have tipped well). The stereotypes may also become a self-fulfilling prophecy in that she may talk differently and wait less on young patrons, which in turn may make them tip less (thereby confirming the stereotype).