Racist
AMPing Racial Attitudes: Comparing the Power of Explicit and Implicit Racism Measures in 2008
Tessa Ditonto, Richard Lau & David Sears
Political Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
In 2008, ANES included for the first time - along with standard explicit measures of old-fashioned and symbolic racism - the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP), a relatively new implicit measure of racial attitudes. This article examines the extent to which four different measures of racial prejudice (three explicit and one implicit) predict public opinion during and after the 2008 election, including Americans' views towards several racial policy issues, their evaluations of, and feelings toward, Barack Obama, and their attitudes toward a Black president in general. Oversamples of African American and Latino respondents in the 2008 ANES enable us to broaden our tests of these measures beyond traditional White samples. We find that racial prejudice played an important role for all racial/ethnic groups but that the traditional explicit measures of racism are by far the stronger predictors for all of our dependent variables (compared to the new implicit measure) for both White and Black respondents. Surprisingly, the AMP adds clear explanatory power only to models in the Latino sample.
----------------------
Is Implicit Prejudice Against Blacks Politically Consequential? Evidence from the AMP
Nathan Kalmoe & Spencer Piston
Public Opinion Quarterly, forthcoming
Abstract:
Recently, scholars have claimed that implicit prejudice, as measured by the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP), eroded support for Obama in the 2008 presidential election. In the present research, we reexamine the case for the contention that implicit racial prejudice as measured by the AMP has political consequences. Using three nationally representative data sets and extending the analyses of previous work, we examine associations between AMP scores and electoral behavior, candidate evaluations, and racial policy attitudes in 2008 and 2009. In contrast to previous research, we find little evidence of implicit prejudice effects. Our findings have important implications for those concerned with the political impact of implicit racial prejudice against Blacks and the AMP as a measure of implicit prejudice.
----------------------
Facial Structure Is Indicative of Explicit Support for Prejudicial Beliefs
Eric Hehman et al.
Psychological Science, March 2013, Pages 289-296
Abstract:
We present three studies examining whether male facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is correlated with racial prejudice and whether observers are sensitive to fWHR when assessing prejudice in other people. Our results indicate that males with a greater fWHR are more likely to explicitly endorse racially prejudicial beliefs, though fWHR was unrelated to implicit bias. Participants evaluated targets with a greater fWHR as more likely to be prejudiced and accurately evaluated the degree to which targets reported prejudicial attitudes. Finally, compared with majority-group members, racial-minority participants reported greater motivation to accurately evaluate prejudice. This motivation mediated the relationship between minority- or majority-group membership and the accuracy of evaluations of prejudice, which indicates that motivation augments sensitivity to fWHR. Together, the results of these three studies demonstrate that fWHR is a reliable indicator of explicitly endorsed racial prejudice and that observers can use fWHR to accurately assess another person's explicit prejudice.
----------------------
The Genomic Revolution and Beliefs about Essential Racial Differences: A Backdoor to Eugenics?
Jo Phelan, Bruce Link & Naumi Feldman
American Sociological Review, forthcoming
Abstract:
Could the explosion of genetic research in recent decades affect our conceptions of race? In Backdoor to Eugenics, Duster argues that reports of specific racial differences in genetic bases of disease, in part because they are presented as objective facts whose social implications are not readily apparent, may heighten public belief in more pervasive racial differences. We tested this hypothesis with a multi-method study. A content analysis showed that news articles discussing racial differences in genetic bases of disease increased significantly between 1985 and 2008 and were significantly less likely than non-health-related articles about race and genetics to discuss social implications. A survey experiment conducted with a nationally representative sample of 559 adults found that a news-story vignette reporting a specific racial difference in genetic risk for heart attacks (the Backdoor Vignette) produced significantly greater belief in essential racial differences than did a vignette portraying race as a social construction or a no-vignette condition. The Backdoor Vignette produced beliefs in essential racial differences that were virtually identical to those produced by a vignette portraying race as a genetic reality. These results suggest that an unintended consequence of the genomic revolution may be the reinvigoration of age-old beliefs in essential racial differences.
----------------------
Essentializing Race: Its Implications on Racial Categorization
Melody Manchi Chao, Ying-yi Hong & Chi-yue Chiu
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
Racial classification has drawn increasing attention in public discourse; it intertwines with issues related to racialized perceptions. However, few social psychological studies have systematically examined racial categorization processes and their implications for interracial relations. In 5 studies, we investigated the role of racial essentialism in influencing several important psychological aspects of racial categorization. Results linked the belief in racial essentialism to an increased tendency to engage in race-based categorization (Studies 1-3) and greater sensitivity in discerning racial group membership (Studies 4-5). These results are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding and managing interracial relations in the United States.
----------------------
Adam Galinsky, Erika Hall & Amy Cuddy
Psychological Science, forthcoming
Abstract:
Six studies explored the overlap between racial and gender stereotypes, and the consequences of this overlap for interracial dating, leadership selection, and athletic participation. Two initial studies captured the explicit and implicit gender content of racial stereotypes: Compared with the White stereotype, the Asian stereotype was more feminine, whereas the Black stereotype was more masculine. Study 3 found that heterosexual White men had a romantic preference for Asians over Blacks and that heterosexual White women had a romantic preference for Blacks over Asians; preferences for masculinity versus femininity mediated participants' attraction to Blacks relative to Asians. The pattern of romantic preferences observed in Study 3 was replicated in Study 4, an analysis of the data on interracial marriages from the 2000 U.S. Census. Study 5 showed that Blacks were more likely and Asians less likely than Whites to be selected for a masculine leadership position. In Study 6, an analysis of college athletics showed that Blacks were more heavily represented in more masculine sports, relative to Asians. These studies demonstrate that the gender content of racial stereotypes has important real-world consequences.
----------------------
Perceived Masculinity: The Potential Influence of Race, Racial Essentialist Beliefs, and Stereotypes
Joel Wong, Angela Horn & Shitao Chen
Psychology of Men & Masculinity, forthcoming
Abstract:
This study addressed racial differences in perceived masculinity, defined as people's perceptions about how masculine a group of people is. College students (N = 250; the majority were White American women) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions to provide their reactions to 1 of the following target groups: Asian American men, Black American men, or White American men. Participants perceived Asian American men as less masculine than Black and White American men and Black American men as the most masculine group. A qualitative analysis of participants' open-ended responses concerning their stereotypes of the 3 target groups of men identified the following stereotypes categories: interpersonal qualities, physical attributes, physical/athletic abilities, aggression, professional success, diligence, musical abilities, foreigner, normalcy, discrimination, and sexual/romantic abilities. In addition, participants' endorsement of 8 of these 11 stereotypes varied as a function of the target group's race. Stereotypes about men's physical attributes and physical/athletic abilities mediated racial differences in perceived masculinity. Moreover, a moderation analysis showed that racial differences in perceived masculinity were most pronounced among participants with high levels of racial essentialist beliefs. Finally, a mediated moderation analysis indicated that the link between the condition by racial essentialist beliefs interaction effect and perceived masculinity was mediated through its association with stereotypes concerning physical/athletic abilities. Implications of these findings for the psychology of men of color are discussed.
----------------------
Samuel Perry
Social Science Journal, March 2013, Pages 13-22
Abstract:
This study examines the effect that the racial composition of neighborhoods, workplaces, congregations, and friendships has on whites' attitudes toward interracial marriage with blacks, Latinos, and Asians. Utilizing survey data drawn from a national probability sample, ordered logit regression models are estimated in order to (1) determine the effect of the racial composition of neighborhoods, workplaces, and congregations on white intermarriage attitudes, net of sociodemographic and ideological controls and (2) test for a mediating effect of interracial friendship. Greater presence of blacks, Latinos, or Asians in neighborhoods and congregations of whites predicts favorable attitudes among whites toward interracial marriage with each respective racial group. A higher proportion of Latinos in the workplace also predicts support for racial exogamy with Latinos. Many of these effects, however, are reduced when interracial friendship is included in models, suggesting that the effect of interracial contact on intermarriage attitudes is mediated by whether or not whites develop interracial friendships within settings of cross-race interaction.
----------------------
Not Like Me = Bad: Infants Prefer Those Who Harm Dissimilar Others
Kiley Hamlin et al.
Psychological Science, forthcoming
Abstract:
Adults tend to like individuals who are similar to themselves, and a growing body of recent research suggests that even infants and young children prefer individuals who share their attributes or personal tastes over those who do not. In this study, we examined the nature and development of attitudes toward similar and dissimilar others in human infancy. Across two experiments with combined samples of more than 200 infant participants, we found that 9- and 14-month-old infants prefer individuals who treat similar others well and treat dissimilar others poorly. A developmental trend was observed, such that 14-month-olds' responses were more robust than were 9-month-olds'. These findings suggest that the identification of common and contrasting personal attributes influences social attitudes and judgments in powerful ways, even very early in life.
----------------------
Orna Sasson-Levy
Sociological Forum, March 2013, Pages 27-50
Abstract:
This article proposes a new theoretical approach to the analysis of hegemonic ethnicity through an examination of the construction of white ethnicity among Ashkenazim (Jews of European origin) in Israel. Contrary to the theory of symbolic ethnicity, I argue that "Ashkenaziness" in Israel is not an optional, voluntary identity; rather, it is constituted by employing narratives that continually establish cultural, color-based, and ethnic boundaries between Ashkenazim and Mizrahi Jews. In certain social and ideological circumstances, however, boundary marking is not enough to maintain a privileged status. From the narratives of Ashkenazi Jews - the Israeli version of whites - it emerges that not only do they demarcate social boundaries between themselves and other groups, thereby preserving the ethnic hierarchy, but they are constantly engaged in blurring or erasing these same boundaries, allowing Ashkenazim to remain a transparent, unmarked social category. This dual practice of marking and unmarking is a result of the tension between the Jewish-Zionist and Western-secular images of the state. While Israel's Jewish discourse supposedly negates intra-Jewish ethnic conflicts, the Western ideal identifies Ashkenazim with the state, thus solidifying their power and preserving their privileged status.
----------------------
Tilman Klumpp & Hugo Mialon
American Law and Economics Review, forthcoming
Abstract:
This paper investigates the effects of hatred in two-player games. We model hate as "reverse-altruism" or a preference for low opponent payoffs, and derive implications for behavior in conflicts where players are motivated by hate. We use these results to illuminate several policy issues, both historical and contemporary: the strategy of non-violent resistance during the American civil rights era, shifts in U.S. national security strategy following 9/11, and the justification for criminal and civil penalty enhancements for hate crime.
----------------------
Shooting the Messenger to Spite the Message? Exploring Reactions to Claims of Racial Bias
Jennifer Schultz & Keith Maddox
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, March 2013, Pages 346-358
Abstract:
Two experiments examined aspects of the communicator, message, and audience in producing evaluative backlash toward minorities who make claims of ongoing racial bias. In Experiment 1, participants evaluated a White or Black confederate who gave a speech expressing no claim, a mild claim, or an extreme claim of racial bias. Results indicated a race-specific evaluative backlash: Participants more negatively rated Black compared with White communicators, but only when the claim was extreme. Experiment 2 found that participants more negatively rated Black (vs. White) communicators when they used low-quality arguments, but this backlash was eliminated when Black communicators used high-quality arguments. Furthermore, participants who held stronger meritocracy beliefs and who heard low-quality arguments were more likely to evaluate Black communicators harshly. These findings clarify the conditions under which people from advantaged groups are more likely to recognize claims of racial bias as legitimate and respond favorably to the communicator.
----------------------
Perceptions of racial confrontation: The role of color blindness and comment ambiguity
Linda Zou & Cheryl Dickter
Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, January 2013, Pages 92-96
Abstract:
Because of its emphasis on diminishing race and avoiding racial discourse, color-blind racial ideology has been suggested to have negative consequences for modern day race relations. The current research examined the influence of color blindness and the ambiguity of a prejudiced remark on perceptions of a racial minority group member who confronts the remark. One hundred thirteen White participants responded to a vignette depicting a White character making a prejudiced comment of variable ambiguity, after which a Black target character confronted the comment. Results demonstrated that the target confronter was perceived more negatively and as responding less appropriately by participants high in color blindness, and that this effect was particularly pronounced when participants responded to the ambiguous comment. Implications for the ways in which color blindness, as an accepted norm that is endorsed across legal and educational settings, can facilitate Whites' complicity in racial inequality are discussed.
----------------------
Shannon Rauch & Kimberley Schanz
Computers in Human Behavior, May 2013, Pages 610-615
Abstract:
The present study examined the relationship between frequency of Facebook use and attitude toward negative racial messages that are presented via Facebook. White participants completed a measure of Facebook use and then read one of three persuasive messages regarding race: an egalitarian message, a negative message with a superiority focus, or a negative message with a victim focus. Participants indicated their attitude toward the message and their Facebook-related behavioral intentions. Results showed that frequency of Facebook use related positively to message acceptance, particularly messages with overt racist content. Facebook users who were motivated by information seeking needs discriminated the most between messages, accepting an egalitarian message and rejecting messages with racist content.
----------------------
David Neumann, Gregory Boyle & Raymond Chan
Personality and Individual Differences, forthcoming
Abstract:
Individuals can show different empathy responses towards others depending on in-group and out-group biases. The present research tested empathy biases related to ethnicity when targets were depicted in negative and positive contexts. Caucasian (n = 99) and Asian (n = 99) participants gave subjective ratings for images depicting same or other ethnicity individuals in socially-relevant negative and positive contexts. Participants rated significantly higher on all three dimensions of empathy (affect, perspective taking, and understanding) for same ethnicity targets than for other ethnicity targets. However, this bias was found only for targets depicted in negative contexts. Moreover, no ethnicity bias was found for ratings of valence, arousal, distress, and interest. The results suggest that ethnicity-related biases in empathy are present, are limited to negative contexts, and are not merely a manifestation of a more general cognitive or affective bias.
----------------------
Implicit Race/Ethnic Prejudice in Mexican Americans
Christelle Fabiola Garza & Philip Gerard Gasquoine
Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, February 2013, Pages 121-133
Abstract:
Implicit race/ethnic prejudice was assessed using Spanish- and English-language versions of an Implicit Association Test that used Hispanic/Anglo first names and pleasant/unpleasant words as stimuli. This test was administered to a consecutive sample of Mexican American adults residing in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas of whom about two-thirds chose to be tested in English and one-third preferred Spanish. Participants were mostly female (73%) with a mean age of 32 years and mean education of 13 years. Among 83 participants, 43% demonstrated in-group implicit prejudice while 26% showed out-group implicit prejudice toward Anglos. There was a significant negative correlation between family values (familism and filial piety) and implicit race/ethnic prejudice scores but no significant association was found between implicit race/ethnic prejudice scores and acculturation or skin tone. Results contribute to the ongoing controversy regarding the validity of implicit race/ethnic prejudice, supporting the concept that societal not individual prejudices are being measured.
----------------------
Honk if you like minorities: Vuvuzela attitudes predict outgroup liking
Sarah Gaither & Samuel Sommers
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, February 2013, Pages 54-65
Abstract:
The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa generated extensive controversy over spectators' use of the African vuvuzela trumpet. We asked 123 White American participants about their opinions of vuvuzelas as well as their attitudes towards a variety of racial/ethnic minority groups including immigrants, African Americans, and Latinos. We found that the less participants liked vuvuzelas, the less positively they also tended to feel toward minority groups. Furthermore, respondents who liked vuvuzelas the least were also less generally open to change. These findings suggest that the vuvuzela controversy was about more than just a plastic trumpet - it was also an episode of differential ingroup/outgroup perceptions and a lack of openness to new things.
----------------------
The N400 as an Index of Racial Stereotype Accessibility
Eric Hehman, Hannah Volpert & Robert Simons
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, forthcoming
Abstract:
The current research examined the viability of the N400, an event-related potential related to the detection of semantic incongruity, as an index of both stereotype accessibility and interracial prejudice. Participants' EEG was recorded while they completed a sequential priming task, in which negative or positive, stereotypically Black (African-American) or White (Caucasian-American) traits followed the presentation of either a Black or White face acting as a prime. ERP examination focused on the N400, but additionally examined N100 and P200 reactivity. Replicating and extending previous N400 stereotype research, results indicated that the N400 can indeed function as an index of stereotype accessibility in an inter-racial domain, as greater N400 reactivity was elicited by trials in which the face prime was incongruent with the target trait than when primes and traits matched. Furthermore, N400 activity was moderated by participants' self-reported explicit bias. More explicitly biased participants demonstrated greater N400 reactivity to stereotypically White traits following Black faces than Black traits following Black faces. P200 activity was additionally associated with participants' implicit biases, as more implicitly biased participants similarly demonstrated greater P200 reactivity to stereotypically White traits following Black faces than Black traits following Black faces.