Reminders of past injustices against African Americans and support for affirmative action
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Sydney M. Rivera (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Ethan Zell
Abstract: Reminding dominant group members of past injustices committed by their group against a subordinate group may cause defensiveness. Prior research found that men who were reminded of historical injustices against women evidenced greater denial of present gender discrimination, which was associated with less support for gender-based affirmative action (Hideg & Wilson, 2020). In two studies, we examined whether reminders of past injustices have a similar effect in a racial-ethnic context. In Study 1, Black and White undergraduates read about injustices faced by African Americans (injustice condition) or general changes in the US (control condition). There was no significant effect of the reminder on White participants’ denial of racial discrimination, and denial was not a significant mediator of the relationship between the historical condition and support for affirmative action. Study 2 conceptually replicated Study 1 but used a subtler manipulation of reminders of historical injustices and was conducted on American adults recruited online. Surprisingly, White participants in the injustice condition reported less denial and more support for affirmative action than White participants in the control condition. Altogether, this research challenges the notion that reminders of historical injustices increase dominant group members’ denial of discrimination. Discussion highlights differences in methods across studies that may explain differences in results.
Reminders of past injustices against African Americans and support for affirmative action
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Created on 5/1/2023
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2023
- Keywords
- Affirmative Action, Injustice, Race
- Subjects
- United States $x Race relations $x Psychological aspects
- Race discrimination $z United States $x Psychological aspects
- Affirmative action programs $z United States $x Psychological aspects
- Social justice $z United States $x Psychological aspects