In the context of social psychology, norms are ________; stereotypes are ________.

• A. individual attitudes; cultural rituals
• B. shared expectations about how people should behave; generalized beliefs about groups of people
• C. biological instincts; social roles
• D. innate personality traits; learned behaviors

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of social norms in social psychology. Norms are the shared expectations or rules within a group or society about how individuals should behave in specific situations.
2. Step 2: Recognize that stereotypes are generalized beliefs or assumptions about the characteristics, attributes, or behaviors of members of particular groups, often oversimplified and not based on individual differences.
3. Step 3: Compare the options given by identifying which pair correctly matches the definitions of norms and stereotypes as understood in social psychology.
4. Step 4: Eliminate options that do not fit the definitions: for example, 'individual attitudes; cultural rituals' does not capture the shared and generalized nature of norms and stereotypes respectively.
5. Step 5: Confirm that the correct answer is the one describing norms as 'shared expectations about how people should behave' and stereotypes as 'generalized beliefs about groups of people,' which aligns with standard social psychology definitions.