Which term describes an oversimplified belief about a group?

• A. Ingroup Bias
• B. Aggression
• C. Stereotype
• D. Discrimination

Answer: (C)

A stereotype is an oversimplified belief about a group. It reduces people to a few generalized traits and assumes everyone in the group shares those traits, ignoring individual differences. These quick mental shortcuts help us categorize others, but they can lead to unfair judgments and bias because they overlook variation among members.

Ingroup bias describes preferring one’s own group, aggression refers to harmful or violent behavior, and discrimination means treating people unfairly based on group membership. Together, these terms describe related concepts, but the specific idea of an oversimplified belief about a group is a stereotype.