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MCAT Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination Practice Questions

By StudyStore · Published 2026-11-04 · 8 original questions · about 12 min

Eight free MCAT-style psychology and sociology practice questions on stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, ethnocentrism, stereotype threat, self-fulfilling prophecy and in-group bias, with explanations.

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Quick concept primer

Keep three terms separate. A stereotype is a cognitive belief or generalization about a group. Prejudice is an attitude, usually negative, toward a group (the affective component). Discrimination is behavior: unequal treatment of people based on group membership. Prejudice does not always lead to discrimination, and discrimination can occur without personal prejudice, as in institutional discrimination built into policies.

Related ideas: ethnocentrism judges other cultures by one's own standards, while cultural relativism understands a practice within its own culture. In-group favoritism and out-group homogeneity effects come from social identity theory. Stereotype threat is the anxiety of confirming a negative stereotype, which can lower performance. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a false expectation that leads to behavior that makes it true. Scapegoating blames a less powerful group for frustration (displaced aggression).

8 practice questions

Try each question before opening the explanation. Click "Show answer and explanation" to check yourself. All questions are original and written for study practice.

Question 1

A manager believes that people from a certain group are unreliable, and as a result refuses to promote an equally qualified employee from that group. Which term describes the manager's refusal to promote?

  1. Stereotype
  2. Prejudice
  3. Ethnocentrism
  4. Discrimination
Show answer and explanation

Answer: D. Discrimination

Discrimination is behavior, an action that treats people unequally because of group membership. The belief that the group is unreliable is the stereotype (cognitive), and any negative feeling toward the group is prejudice (affective).

Question 2

Which statement correctly distinguishes prejudice from stereotype?

  1. Prejudice is an attitude with an emotional component, whereas a stereotype is a cognitive generalization
  2. Prejudice is a behavior, whereas a stereotype is an emotion
  3. Prejudice is always positive
  4. They are identical terms
Show answer and explanation

Answer: A. Prejudice is an attitude with an emotional component, whereas a stereotype is a cognitive generalization

Stereotypes are beliefs about traits of a group, prejudices are evaluative attitudes toward it (usually negative), and discrimination is the action. The cognitive, affective and behavioral components map onto these three terms.

Question 3

A student from a group that is stereotyped as weak in math performs worse on a math test after being told that the test shows differences between groups. This best illustrates

  1. the fundamental attribution error
  2. stereotype threat
  3. cognitive dissonance
  4. ethnocentrism
Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. stereotype threat

Stereotype threat is the anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype, which can impair performance. The effect appears when the stereotype is made salient, as in this scenario. The fundamental attribution error is about explaining other people's behavior.

Question 4

A teacher is told that some students are "late bloomers" who will improve, although the students were chosen at random. The teacher pays more attention to those students and they improve. This is an example of

  1. a self-fulfilling prophecy
  2. stereotype threat
  3. in-group bias
  4. the just-world hypothesis
Show answer and explanation

Answer: A. a self-fulfilling prophecy

A false expectation changed the teacher's behavior, which produced the expected outcome. This is the Pygmalion or Rosenthal effect, a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is not stereotype threat, which is the target's own anxiety about a negative stereotype.

Question 5

A tourist considers the eating customs of another country disgusting because they differ from those at home. This is best described as

  1. cultural relativism
  2. institutional discrimination
  3. ethnocentrism
  4. cultural assimilation
Show answer and explanation

Answer: C. ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism means judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture and often regarding one's own as superior. Cultural relativism is the opposite: understanding practices in the context of their own culture.

Question 6

A company uses a hiring test that is not related to job duties but systematically screens out members of a particular group. This is an example of

  1. individual prejudice
  2. institutional discrimination
  3. stereotype threat
  4. in-group favoritism
Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. institutional discrimination

Institutional discrimination is built into the policies and practices of an organization and can occur even if no individual intends harm. Individual prejudice would involve a person's own attitudes. Unequal outcomes that are not justified by job requirements are the hallmark of this type of discrimination.

Question 7

According to social identity theory, why do people tend to favor members of their own group?

  1. Because group membership contributes to self-esteem
  2. Because they have more information about other groups
  3. Because they are required by law to do so
  4. Because they are less likely to see group differences
Show answer and explanation

Answer: A. Because group membership contributes to self-esteem

Social identity theory holds that part of our self-concept comes from group membership, so we enhance our self-esteem by viewing our in-group favorably relative to out-groups. This leads to in-group favoritism and the out-group homogeneity effect, seeing out-group members as all alike.

Question 8

After losing his job, a man directs anger toward a minority group that had nothing to do with it. Which concept best explains this?

  1. Scapegoating, a form of displaced aggression
  2. Cognitive dissonance
  3. Cultural relativism
  4. The bystander effect
Show answer and explanation

Answer: A. Scapegoating, a form of displaced aggression

Scapegoating blames a less powerful, convenient group for one's own frustration, which is displaced aggression under frustration-aggression theory. The targets are chosen for their lack of power rather than for causing the problem.

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Written by StudyStore from standard scientific facts as a study aid. These are not official exam questions and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any testing organization. Always check values against the reference provided with your exam or course.

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