What is the impact of culture on prejudice?

Prejudice has traditionally been assumed to be the product of some form of malice, brought about by social or emotional forces. In recent years, there has been increasing research on how prejudice can result from cognitive processes, without malicious intent. Discuss how and why cognitive processes can produce prejudice. What is the impact of culture on prejudice? Once stereotypes and prejudices are formed, how do they come to be self-perpetuating?