Which term refers to judging a group of people who are different from you based on your own or others' opinions or encounters?

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

Answer: (B)

Forming a stereotype involves making a generalized belief about a group of people who are different from you based on your own experiences or what others say. Stereotypes are broad, often oversimplified pictures of a group that people apply to individuals, rather than recognizing each person’s unique traits. That’s why this option best matches the prompt: it captures the idea of judging a whole group from limited encounters or secondhand opinions. Bias is more about a tendency to prefer or avoid things, which can underlie stereotypes but isn’t the general belief itself. Prejudice is an attitude—an unfounded or unfair feeling toward a group—often rooted in stereotypes. Profiling involves applying group-based assumptions to individuals in order to predict behavior, usually in specific contexts like security or policing.