Factors associated with implicit and explicit racial preferences of African Americans

Author/Creator:

Wallace, Bentley Gibson

Publication/Creation:

Ph.D. Emory University 2014

Resource Type:

Book

More Details

Additional/Related Title Information

Full Title:

Factors associated with implicit and explicit racial preferences of African Americans

Related Names

Additional Author/Creators:

Emory University. Department of Psychology

Subjects/Genre

Genre:

Academic theses
Electronic dissertations

Description/Summary

Summary:

Research has found that approximately half of African Americans show positive implicit in-group (black) preferences and the other half show positive out-group (white) preferences. This study attempts to clarify the factors that are associated with lower in-group positivity among this population than has been documented in European Americans. Explicit and implicit preferences and identity were examined among African American children and young adults. Several potential contributing factors were examined: how strongly individuals identify with their racial group, the impact of racial socialization (parental racial attitudes/behaviors), race composition of school, and socio-economic status. The sample included 216 participants between ages 5-23 (M=15.37, SD =5.73). The sample was separated into two groups, the younger cohort (M=9.09, SD=3.05) and the college student cohort (M=19.85, SD= 1.12).
Out of all participants in the younger cohort, 53% attended homogeneous/predominantly black schools. In the college student cohort 42% of the participants attended a racially homogeneous/predominantly black college. The remainder of the college participants attended a racially heterogeneous school. Results showed a lack of an implicit in-group/black preference in the younger cohort confirming our hypothesis and consistent with previous research (Baron & Banaji, 2009; Newheiser & Olson, 2012). This study contradicts previous findings of a lack of an implicit in-group bias in an older sample of African Americans (Nosek, Banaji, & Greenwald, 2002; Livingston, 2002; Ashburn-Nardo, Knowles, & Monteith, 2003; Richeson, Trawalter, & Shelton, 2005), as we provide evidence of an implicit preference in favor of their in-group in the college sample. In terms of implicit identity, both children and adults more readily associated black faces with words about the self than white faces.
In general, the African Americans in this study held an explicit, pro-black preference and identity that showed positive associations with age. This study provided evidence of correlations between explicit and implicit measures; it also suggested that above and beyond the racial composition of schools, African Americans' racial preferences and identity can be predicted by the specific types of racial socialization messages they have received about racism and about the social status of their in-group.

Language:

English

Language Note:

In English.

Physical Type/Description:

1 online resource (109 pages).

General Note:

Source of abstract: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 76-06(E), Section: B.
Advisor: Philippe Rochat.

Local Note:

Available to current Emory faculty, students and staff.
ProQuest digital dissertation copies of Emory dissertations may be downloaded free of charge by Emory faculty, students, and staff unless the author has chosen to embargo the work.

Additional Identifiers

Catalog ID (MMSID):

990036123460302486

ISBN:

9781321375749