Concept · Cognitive Bias: Social and group biases
Stereotyping
Origin: Lippmann, 1922 (coined); Allport, 1954
Biological Parallel
Vervet monkeys have distinct alarm calls for leopards, eagles, and snakes—categorical responses to predator classes rather than individual threat assessment. Upon hearing the eagle alarm, vervets don't evaluate the specific bird's intentions; they stereotypically scan skyward and flee to bushes. This categorical perception evolved because processing individual variation takes time that fleeing prey cannot afford—stereotyping is fast heuristic cognition optimized for survival under uncertainty, trading accuracy for speed.