Which term describes the belief that all members of a group share the same traits, often leading to generalized judgments?

• A. Generalization
• B. Bias
• C. Prejudice
• D. Stereotype

Answer: (D)

Stereotype is a fixed, oversimplified belief about members of a group that assumes they all share the same traits, which leads to generalized judgments about individuals based on group membership. This mental shortcut can ignore individual variation and be reinforced by media and culture, making broad assumptions feel intuitively true. Generalization is a broader cognitive process that can be accurate in some cases and isn’t inherently about groups of people; bias is a predisposition that colors judgments, and prejudice is a negative, preconceived attitude toward a group. The key idea here is that a stereotype specifically denotes that uniform set of traits assigned to all members of a group, driving generalized judgments.