Poster Session #2: UC Ballroom
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Yoonhee Jang
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Psychology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
This study investigates whether stereotyping can be changed through a short priming anecdote. Eighty four participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups and read one of the four anecdotes depending on story valence and the race of the main character: (1) positive (e.g. saving a life) and white; (2) positive and black; (3) negative (e.g. robbing a store) and white; and (4) negative and black. After reading the anecdote, the participants took the Weapon Identification Task (WIT). In the WIT a photograph of either a white or a black person’s face was briefly presented, which was replaced by a target picture of either a tool or a gun. The participants were then asked to identify the target (e.g., tool or gun). ANOVAs were conducted for data analysis. We partially replicated the WIT effect: Black picture primes caused tools to be misidentified as guns, but there was no difference in misidentification between tools and guns for white picture primes. More interestingly, however, we found something new. When participants read a negative story, there was an interaction between the type of picture prime and target type: The WIT correct response time was shorter for the white-tool pairs than for the black-tool pairs whereas it was shorter for the black-gun pairs than for the white-gun pairs. However, when they read a positive story, the WIT correct response time was shorter for guns than for tools regardless of picture primes. The interaction among story valence, the type of picture prime, and target type suggests that stereotype judgments can be moderated by pre-experience of the situation of different races.
Category
Social Sciences
Moderating Stereotype Judgments Through a Priming Anecdote
This study investigates whether stereotyping can be changed through a short priming anecdote. Eighty four participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups and read one of the four anecdotes depending on story valence and the race of the main character: (1) positive (e.g. saving a life) and white; (2) positive and black; (3) negative (e.g. robbing a store) and white; and (4) negative and black. After reading the anecdote, the participants took the Weapon Identification Task (WIT). In the WIT a photograph of either a white or a black person’s face was briefly presented, which was replaced by a target picture of either a tool or a gun. The participants were then asked to identify the target (e.g., tool or gun). ANOVAs were conducted for data analysis. We partially replicated the WIT effect: Black picture primes caused tools to be misidentified as guns, but there was no difference in misidentification between tools and guns for white picture primes. More interestingly, however, we found something new. When participants read a negative story, there was an interaction between the type of picture prime and target type: The WIT correct response time was shorter for the white-tool pairs than for the black-tool pairs whereas it was shorter for the black-gun pairs than for the white-gun pairs. However, when they read a positive story, the WIT correct response time was shorter for guns than for tools regardless of picture primes. The interaction among story valence, the type of picture prime, and target type suggests that stereotype judgments can be moderated by pre-experience of the situation of different races.