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In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people.[2] It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example, an expectation about the group's personality, preferences, appearance or ability. Stereotypes are often overgeneralized, inaccurate, and resistant to new information.[3] A stereotype does not necessarily need to be a negative assumption. They may be positive, neutral, or negative.
The funny thing is, the whole cop and doughnuts thing is completely out of date – today, an officer could just as easily swing through a McDonald's drive through as he could a Krispy Kreme. Yet, the stereotype endures, even though police aren't seen at doughnut shops in nearly the numbers they used to have been. In a way, it's become a stereotype of itself, which is pretty meta.