Final answer:
Barbara's situation is an example of prejudice, which refers to negative attitudes towards individuals based on group membership, potentially leading to discrimination.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term psychologists would use to define Barbara's situation where she holds negative attitudes about people who belong to groups that differ from her based on noticeable attributes such as race, religion, or ethnicity, is prejudice. Prejudice involves having negative attitudes and feelings toward an individual solely because of their membership in a particular social group. This kind of prejudgment can lead to discrimination, which is negative action taken against individuals due to their group membership, and it is a form of oppression.
Examples of discrimination include scenarios like the historical exclusion of women from obtaining academic degrees solely based on gender, as was the case with Mary Whiton Calkins at Harvard. Group affiliations can result in positive biases towards in-groups, but can also foster racist and sexist attitudes, or any other forms of prejudice such as ageism and heterosexism. In efforts to combat prejudice and discrimination, it is suggested that education, contact with diverse groups, and positive imagined interactions can help in reducing prejudiced attitudes.