During a class activity, the teacher asked students to select dolls which…

Social bias is commonly analysed as three separate components: a stereotype is a generalized, oversimplified cognitive belief or mental image applied to every member of a social or cultural group; prejudice is a preconceived attitude or feeling — favourable or unfavourable — held toward a group; and discrimination is an actual unfair behavioural act carried out against a group. Stereotype is the cognitive (belief) component, prejudice is the affective (attitude) component, and discrimination is the behavioural (action) component of social bias.

In the scenario, the students choose dolls using a few generic visual markers — colourful clothing, head gear, and dancing postures — as their mental image of what an Adivasi 'looks like', without regard for the real diversity among Adivasi communities. This is a cognitive over-generalization applied to an entire group, which is exactly the definition of a stereotype: no unfair action is taken (ruling out discrimination) and no attitude of liking or disliking is expressed (ruling out prejudice).

• Discrimination describes an unfair action or behaviour directed at members of a group; the scenario records a mental image the students hold, not an act carried out against Adivasis.

• Progressiveness describes an inclination toward reform or a modern, individualized outlook; a narrow generalized image of a group is the opposite of that outlook.

• Prejudice describes a preconceived attitude or feeling — favourable or unfavourable — toward a group; the scenario records a visual generalization used to represent the group, not an expressed feeling toward Adivasis.

Therefore, the students' behaviour of picking dolls based on a narrow, generalized visual image demonstrates a stereotype. This matches the official CTET August 2023 Paper-2 (Set E, Q64) answer key.