Final answer:
Stereotyping simplifies social judgments but can impair critical thinking due to confirmation bias, which is seeking evidence to support pre-existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory information.
Step-by-step explanation:
Stereotyping people can simplify our social judgments by providing cognitive shortcuts. However, relying on stereotypes can also impair our thinking because we may become susceptible to confirmation bias, which is the tendency to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs or stereotypes and to ignore information that contradicts them. This process of seeking out information that supports our stereotypes is known as confirmation bias.
Confirmation bias can also lead to the reinforcement of simplistic and often inaccurate views of groups, whether based on race, gender, age, or other categories. It contributes to in-group bias where we show preferential treatment for people who are similar to us and can result in prejudice and discrimination towards others. Furthermore, the overwhelming presence of social media has exacerbated the effects of confirmation bias by presenting us with information that aligns with our pre-existing beliefs, which can be especially harmful when those beliefs are incorrect or antisocial.