Which term describes the creation of an adverse or unreasonable opinion about a person or group without gathering all the facts and based on deeply held beliefs?

• A. Perspective
• B. Social Bias
• C. Stereotypes
• D. Prejudice

Answer: (D)

When someone forms an adverse, unfounded opinion about a person or group without checking the facts and it’s shaped by deeply held beliefs, that is prejudice. It’s an attitude born from bias that judges people based on their membership in a group rather than on actual behavior or evidence about the individual. This goes beyond simple generalizations; it involves a negative stance rooted in long-standing assumptions about the group. Stereotypes are broad generalizations about a group that can be true or false and are about beliefs about typical traits, not necessarily about the person’s treatment or the holder’s attitude toward them. Social bias covers unfair preferences or prejudgments in social situations, which can be explicit or implicit, but prejudice specifically describes the unfounded negative evaluation tied to belief. Perspective is just a point of view, not necessarily tied to judgments about people.