While research suggests that blatant expressions of racism are on the decline, more subtle forms of bias persist (Dovidio & Gartner, 2004; Nosek, Banaji, & Greenwald, 2002). These biases can be automatic and unintentional, often occurring outside conscious awareness. Studies suggest that developing awareness is the first step to moderating discriminatory thoughts and behaviors (Divine & Monteith, 1993; Dovidio & Gaertner, 2004; Durrheim, Hook, & Riggs, 2009; Monteith & Voils, 1998). When White Americans are aware of their biases, they are more likely to adjust their attitudes and alter their behaviors. Crucially, when biases go unacknowledged, there are fewer opportunities to combat unintentional racism. As a result, the tendency to disavow racial biases demands scholarly attention. In order to further research in this area, a way of measuring awareness of racial bias is needed. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop and initially validate the Disavowal of Racial Bias Scale (DRB). A review of the research on racial bias helped generate 38 initial items. An empirical approach was then used to determine an optimal version of the scale. In Phase 1, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of data from 579 participants suggested a 2-factor model with a total of 24 items. The first factor was named Bias Examples because it included statements referring to specific examples of racial bias. The second factor was named Bias Existence because it included statements referring to the general phenomenon of racial bias. In Phase 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of data from a second subsample of 579 participants was used to confirm the factor structure identified in Phase 1. Both subscales demonstrated high internal consistency, providing evidence of the DRB's reliability. Further psychometric evaluations provided evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. However, the 2-factor model did not appear to be reasonably consistent with the data as evidenced by a poor model fit. Although there are many promising aspects of the final 24-item DRB, more work is needed to make it a valid measure for future use. Limitations of this study and recommendations for future scale development in this area will be discussed.

Very few studies have investigated how psychopathic traits might contribute to our understanding of prejudicial attitudes. Moreover, previous studies involve a number of limitations which cloud interpretation of their findings. The current study examined the relationship between prejudice and a number of its predictors (e.g., social dominance orientation (SDO) and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA)), while also including psychopathic traits and an innovative new measure of empathy using an online sample. A path analytic framework was employed to comprehensively model relations among psychopathic traits, SDO, RWA, and affective empathy domains in the prediction of generalized prejudice. Overall, there was support for certain psychopathic traits being modest predictors of racial prejudice, although more proximal measures were much stronger predictors. The results revealed a number of novel relationships that may help in further understanding the links between psychopathic propensities, empathy, and social-cognitive variables predictive of racial prejudice.

The present study examined the psychological effects of racism-related stress on Asian Americans (N=866). The purpose of the current study was to investigate a stress and coping model for Asian Americans by considering culturally based coping options. As such, the study sought to understand collectivistic coping as mediating the relationship between racism-related stress and psychological distress for Asian Americans. The stress and coping model, which was tested through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), hypothesized that higher racism-related stress leads to increased use of collectivistic coping strategies, which then decreases psychological distress (depression, anxiety, hostility and defensive paranoia). It was hypothesized that higher racism-related stress would have a positive effect on more collectivistic coping strategies which would then have a negative effect (decrease) on psychological distress. Racial identity status attitudes were also included separately to understand one's experience with racism related stress to provide more information into the within group variability in racism-related stress reactions that exist among Asian Americans. Results from this study indicated that Asian Americans utilize a culturally based coping style to respond to racism-related stress. However, those coping strategies are significantly related to increased psychological distress, which is contrary to the proposed hypothesis. Although not all the hypotheses were supported, the results of the study showed an overall acceptable model fit. The results therefore provide strong evidence to support that psychological distress is experienced as a result of racism-related stress for Asian Americans, despite the use of collectivistic coping strategies.

Psychological literature regarding South Asian American mental health and race-related issues is scarce (Daga & Raval, 2018; Nadimpalli, Kanaya, McDade, & Kandula, 2016; Pyke & Dang, 2003). In particular, discriminatory practices involving individuals’ personal names of ethnic origin have primarily been explored within educational research (Kholi & Solórzano, 2012); the present study conceptualizes these experiences within a psychological context as name-based microaggressions. Name-based microaggressions represent a promising avenue by which to advance racism-related theory and research in that they may be reasonably expected to occur throughout the interpersonal interactions of a wide variety of individuals, including the educational system, the employment process, and everyday casual conversations with others. The present study used consensual qualitative research (CQR) to analyze the narratives of South Asian American participants regarding name-based microaggressions (Hill, Knox, Thompson, Williams, Hess, & Ladany, 2005). The study sheds light on microaggressive events among this racial minority population whose experiences are infrequently studied by psychologists and who are generally underserved by mental health practitioners. The results have implications for the multicultural awareness for counselors working with South Asian American clients, and for psychological awareness about the existence and impact of a little-studied microaggression.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of segregation on the flexibility of individuals in the Negro and Anglo-American ethnic groups and to investigate the relationship between variations in flexibility and sociometric choices within the peer group.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-11-12T10:56:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Pedro Henrique Jardim.pdf: 2320660 bytes, checksum: 345a90622ed442bebb647346fdf24f05 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-12T10:56:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pedro Henrique Jardim.pdf: 2320660 bytes, checksum: 345a90622ed442bebb647346fdf24f05 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / As a social science, Behavior Analysis has the technology to study cultural practices related to racial issues. This study aimed to evaluate the effects produced by a negative racial bias reduction procedure related to black people. Seventeen participants, 10 blacks and seven whites, who filled a self-declaration questionnaire, were selected. The activity consisted of an arbitrary matching-to-sample training. Before it, the participants trained the relationship between thumb up and thumb down, and stimuli with hit and miss functions. They also performed a pretraining, in which a software (IRAP) was applied, in order to measure the latency of responses for each group of stimuli related to figures of white and black people and to verify if the responses indicated negative racial bias because of the time to respond. In the procedure of stimulus equivalence class formation related to the reduction of the negative bias itself, three relations were trained: (a) between thumb up/thumb down and abstract figures (AB); (b) between abstract figures and black people (BC); and (c) both (ABBC), simultaneously. After each training, tests of symmetry, transitivity and equivalence (AC and CA) were performed. A complementary test (AC3), in which another comparison stimulus was added (white people), was also applied. Finally, IRAP was used again in order to verify if there were changes after training. Initial results indicated that participants were not biased towards black people. However, the training was effective for stimulus equivalence class formation, with the exception of one participant. The application of IRAP at the end indicated varied results. It is recommended that future researches verify whether a white experimenter would achieve distinct results and whether stimuli of both black men and women have the same effect in participants as well as testing other methods of verifying implicit racial bias / Enquanto ciência social, a Análise do Comportamento tem tecnologia para estudar práticas culturais relacionadas a questões raciais. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos produzidos por um procedimento de redução de viés racial negativo em relação a pessoas negras. Foram selecionados 17 participantes, 10 negros e sete brancos, que preencheram um questionário de autodeclaração. A atividade consistiu em um treino de matching-to-sample arbitrário simultâneo. Antes dela, os participantes treinaram a relação entre polegar para cima e para baixo e estímulos com função de acerto e erro. Também passaram por um pré-treino, no qual foi aplicado um software (IRAP), a fim de medir a latência de respostas para cada grupo de estímulos relacionados a figuras de pessoas brancas e negras e verificar se as respostas indicavam viés racial negativo em razão do tempo para responder. No procedimento de formação de classes de equivalência relacionadas à redução do viés negativo propriamente dito, foram treinadas três relações: (a) entre polegar para cima e para baixo e figuras abstratas (AB); (b) entre figuras abstratas e pessoas negras (BC); e (c) ambas (ABBC), simultaneamente. Após cada treino, foram realizados os testes de simetria, transitividade e equivalência (AC e CA) e aplicado um teste complementar (AC3), no qual se adicionou outro estímulo-comparação (pessoas brancas). Por fim, utilizou-se novamente o IRAP, para verificar mudanças após o treino. Os resultados iniciais indicaram que os participantes não eram enviesados para pessoas negras. O treino, porém, foi eficaz para a formação de classes de equivalência, à exceção de um participante. A aplicação do IRAP ao final indicou resultados variados. Recomenda-se que pesquisas futuras verifiquem se um experimentador branco traria resultados distintos e se estímulos de homens e mulheres negros têm o mesmo efeito nos participantes, além de testar outros métodos de verificação de viés racial implícito

The unremitting image of Asian Americans as being "Model Minority" has created a veil that conceals their incessant struggles with discrimination, prejudice and microaggressions on individual, institutional and cultural levels. Previous studies have highlighted the personal and collective struggles of this group and emphasized the harmful consequences to physical, emotional and mental well-being of Asian Americans. The current study explored potential factors that may influence the impact of experiencing racial microaggressions for Asian Americans. More specifically, a 2 x 2 between-subjects factorial design was utilized to examine whether level of familiarity and role of power in the target's relationship with the perpetrator differentially impacts the experience of a racial microaggression. A vignette illustrated a microaggressive encounter with a perpetrator who differed on these conditions with a sample of 263 Asian Americans. The findings indicate support for the damaging psychological consequences of receiving racial microaggressions with participants reporting significantly negative experience when the perpetrator was someone familiar in a position of authority. The results of the present study contribute to the literature on racial microaggressions by providing support for the injurious impact it has for Asian Americans and continues to challenge the model minority myth that persists to silence their voices and invalidate their racial reality.

Despite the election of a Black President and media assertions at the time heralding a “post racial” America in which racial divides no longer exist, health disparities, poverty rates, incarceration rates, discrimination and educational inequality still are a daily reality for African Americans. African Americans still have the burden of having to cope with racism making the explorations of coping strategies for African Americans dealing with racism vitally important. The present study explored religious orientation, spirituality, race-related stress, mental health outcomes and activism for African Americans. In particular, race -related stress was predicted to be significantly predictive of activism, such that the more one has experienced race related stressors the more likely they would be activated to engage in social justice related activities (H1). The study predicted that higher levels of quest religious orientation and intrinsic spirituality would be related to higher levels of African American activism (H2a). It was also predicted that higher levels of religious fundamentalism would be related to lower levels of activism (H2b). Regarding the relationship of spirituality and activism to mental health, it was predicted that quest religious orientation and intrinsic spirituality and activism would be related to greater mental health outcomes (H3a), while a fundamentalist spiritual orientation and race-related stress would be related of poorer mental health (H3b). It was also predicted that African American activism would be related to greater mental health outcomes (H4a) and that racism-related stress would be negatively related to mental health (H4b) The results indicated that for this sample, none of the spirituality variables (Quest Orientation, Fundamentalism Orientation, and Intrinsic Spirituality), nor the experience of racism (race-related stress), nor African American Activism, was related to mental health. However, the variables examined were significantly related to African American Activism. Quest Religious Orientation, Intrinsic spirituality, and race-related stress were all positively related to engagement in action for racial justice. Fundamentalist religious orientation was negatively related to action for social justice.

White ways of understanding, perceiving, and knowing continue to be centered in the field of psychology, leaving a deficit of knowledge around effective antiracist pedagogy, research, and training. Although psychologists have a natural place in strengthening social justice initiatives to broader antiracist advocacy, the field has had a long history of perpetuating racism, racial discrimination, and human hierarchy in the United States. White Supremacy Culture, outdated professional socialization practices, and hostile training environments continue to lead to high attrition rates, racial trauma, and compounding mental health issues for BIPOC. Moreover, epistemic restrictions and the lack of precise guidelines on implementing antiracism practices remain barriers to advancing racial equity within the field. Using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR), this study identified antiracist frameworks and guidelines that psychology training programs could construct from the experiences, motivations, and practices of White activists in Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), one of the most visible racial justice organizations in the United States. Through semi-structured interviews with 14 SURJ activists, this study generated eight major domains with three to five themes per domain. Applying theoretical frameworks of Critical Whiteness Studies, White Supremacy Culture, and spatial justice, findings revealed the range of ways in which SURJ activists used spatial justice praxis or counter-spaces against White Supremacy Culture to work through the barriers of being an effective White activist and to advance antiracism by finding their mutual interests, or personal stakes, in the racial justice movement. Implications for psychology training programs, study limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

This dissertation examines the effects of prescriptive stereotype violations about competence on East Asians' ratings of leadership potential. Despite being perceived as competent, East Asians are underrepresented in leadership positions across different industries in the United States, a phenomenon known as the “bamboo ceiling.” This study investigated whether East Asians are held to a higher standard of technical competence than Whites regarding career outcomes such as possessing leadership potential and receiving rewards, or being perceived with the same level of respect, trust, liking, and boss desirability. The study used a 2 (Target’s Race: East Asian and White) x 3 (Technical Competence: Display, Withhold and Control ) between-subjects design, with participants recruited from the tech industry. The results revealed that the stereotype of Asians being competent is so entrenched that Asians were rated higher on overall competence even when they failed to demonstrate high technical competence or when no information was shared on technical competence compared to their White counterparts. However, the higher level of perceived competence for East Asians did not translate into a corresponding higher rating of their career outcomes such as leadership potential or recommendations for rewards. This study sheds light on the challenges that East Asians face and underscores the need for organizations to reevaluate their evaluation processes and criteria.