Alyssa is convinced that all politicians are crooks and philanderers and care only about personal gain and getting re-elected. This is an example of ________.

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Stereotyping is at play here: it involves applying a generalized belief about a group to all of its members. Alyssa asserts that all politicians share negative traits—crooks, philanderers, and only self-interested—which is a broad, oversimplified picture applied to everyone who belongs to the group “politicians.” This reflects a cognitive shortcut that ignores individual differences within the group.

Discrimination would involve acting on that belief in how one treats members of the group, which isn’t described here. Prejudice refers to an attitude or feeling toward the group, which could accompany stereotyping but the statement is specifically about a generalized belief about the group. Bias is a broader term, but the specific form shown is stereotyping.