1. The Space Between Us:Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial ContextsPhillip A G, Claude M S, Paul G D. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2008(94): 91-107. ByXie Lin www.sinauonline.com
2. Agenda 2 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
3. Background – racial distancing Avoidant behaviors and attitudes Natural, rational Prejudices, stereotyping, discrimination Racial antipathy interchangeable 3 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
4. Background – stereotype threat “racism with out racists” The sense of threat that can arise when one knows that he or she can possibly be judged or treated negatively on the bass of a negative stereotype about one’s group. Requires: be highly identified with a domain believe he or she is being evaluated the self-concept be implicated in that evaluation 4 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
5. Study 1 - hypothesis To examine the effect of stereotype threat on the preferred social distance of White participants in an expected interracial contact. The primary hypothesis: that racially tense conversations with Black partners would produce stereotype threat among White participants and in turn would produce physical distancing. 5 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
6. Study 1 - method 6 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
7. 7 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
8. Study 1 - results The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts Participants who were assigned to discuss racial profiling with two Black partners distanced their partners more than did participants in any other condition. In the condition talking with two Black partners about racial profiling, the more participants activated the stereotype of the White racist, the farther they sat from their anticipated partners. 8
9. Study 2 - hypothesis Participants would distance themselves from Black partners more than from White partners when voicing their own opinion but not when reading an assigned opinion. Stable prejudice (both explicit and implicit) would have little if any influence on distance and would not attenuate the relationship between stereotype activation and distance. 9 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
10. Study 2 - method 10 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
11. Study 2 - results The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts When participants were assigned an opinion, there was no difference in the degree to which they distanced themselves from their Black or White participants, nor was there a relationship between stereotype activation and distance. Neither explicit prejudice nor implicit prejudice predicted distance in any condition. Nor did either measure of prejudice moderate the relationship between stereotype threat and distance. 11
12. Study 3 - hypothesis Shifting participants’ evaluative frameworks could reduce the experience of stereotype threat. Giving participants learning goals would attenuate the negative consequences of stereotype threat by reducing the evaluative implications of stereotype-confirming behavior. 12 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
13. Study 3 - method 13 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
14. Study 3 - results The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts Participants sat farther in the Black/no-leaning-goals condition. Participant sat farther away from Blacks than Whites in the no leaning goals condition. Participants with learning goalssat closer to Black partners than did participants without learning goals. Shifting the evaluative framework from entitative to incremental can reduce the impact of stereotype threat. 14
15. Study 4 - hypothesis Stereotype threat is consciously accessible. The observed pattern of distance scores in Studies 1-3 was not due primarily to a “solo” effect rather than to stereotype threat. To ensure that the findings observed in Studies 1-3 generalized when participants met the conversation partner. 15 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
16. Study 4 - method 16 The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts
17. Study 4 - results The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts The findings of Studies 1-3 could be extended to one-on-one interactions with actual partners. Participants demonstrated access to their subjective experiences of stereotype threat, and reports of this experience were, in turn, predictive of behavior. 17
18. Discussion The Space Between Us: Stereotype Threat and Distance in Interracial Contexts Four studies presented here provide support for the hypothesis that stereotype threat may cause Whites to distance themselves from Blacks. The subjective experience of stereotyped targets deserves consideration in future research on the topic. Learning goals can be a promising salve for the negative consequences of stereotype threat. 18
19. Thank You ! Contact me at xielin@zju.edu.cn www.sinauonline.com 19