This project examines how the political participation and academic performance of African American students was influenced by racial attitudes and stereotypes during the 2008 presidential election. If a particular group is stereotyped as unlikely to participate in politics and unlikely to succeed academically, members of that group may internalize this stereotype and under-perform on relevant tasks. According to the psychological theory of stereotype threat this is not due to a conscious decision to behave stereotype-consistent, but based on being cognitively distracted from the task by the internalized stereotype.
The study investigates two types of implicit racial attitudes that may render individuals more or less susceptible to stereotype threat. African-American students will participate in an experiment that involves completing an online survey regarding their participation in the 2008 election, their support for Barack Obama vs. John McCain, and their opinions on a number of race related policies (affirmative action, government aid to Blacks, and slavery reparations). To elicit stereotype threat, the survey is administered under two experimental conditions, a high stereotype threat condition in which an all-White research team gives instructions to African American participants, and a low-stereotype threat condition in which an all-Black research team gives the instructions. Implicit racial attitudes are also measured using reaction time tasks.
This research will have broader impacts by generating a better understanding of how racial attitudes and stereotypes affect members of the African American community. The findings will be disseminated to local communities with the goal of raising awareness and understanding of the consequences of racial stereotypes. Additionally, this project will involve graduate and undergraduate student research assistants from a historically black university. These students will receive specialized training that will enrich their academic experiences.
