Historically, sociologists have presumed that people will attribute certain characteristics to a member of a particular group when it is generally believed that most members of that group possess the characteristics in question.

presume 推测
attribute ... to ... 把...品质归于某人
possess 拥有
in question 考虑中的，被谈论着的

从历史上看，社会学家一直认为，人们会将某一特征归属于一个特定群体中的成员，当这个群体中的大部分成员都有上述特征时。

For sociologists Hepburn and Locksley, such social stereotyping has led to the broader question of whether people are cognizant of their own stereotyping behavior.

stereotype 把...模式化、模式化的形象
congnizant 意识到

对于社会学家赫本和洛克斯利来说，这种社会刻板印象引发了一个更广泛的问题，即人们是否认识到自己的刻板印象行为。

Seemingly, if one knows that one holds a stereotypical notion such as "all members of a certain ethnic group are natural musicians," then one might also be aware that the notion that "a particular musician of that ethnic group is a great musician" is a corollary of that stereotype.

ethnic 某文化群体的
corollary 必然的结果

从表面上看，如果一个人知道自己持有“某一民族的所有成员都是天生的音乐家”这样的刻板印象，那么人们可能也会意识到，“上述民族的某一位音乐家是一位伟大的音乐家”的概念是这种刻板印象的必然结果。

However, people are most aware of their stereotyping when they have no information.

然而，人们最能意识到他们的思维定式的时候是他们没有信息的时候。

When given information that conforms to their beliefs and the individual case observed, people become less aware of their tendency to stereotype and therefore more likely to engage in stereotyping.

conform to ... 和...一致
engage in ..参与

当给出的信息符合某人的信仰和观察到的个别情况时，人们更少意识到他们思维定式的倾向，因此更有可能根据思维定式思考。

Which of the following best describes the function of the first sentence?

A To present a criticism of Hepburn and Locksley`s conceptualization of why individuals stereotype

B To provide evidence to support Hepburn and Locksley`s claims about the problems inherent with stereotyping

C To provide the backdrop for Hepburn and Locksley`s study

D To provide an overview of a social phenomenon and its contributions to Hepburn and Locksley`s area of inquiry

E To provide a history of social stereotyping alongside Hepburn and Locksley`s reservations about the practice