SBP: CAREER: Inferior and foreign racial stereotypes give rise to exploitative and exclusionary discrimination

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

Many racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. experience discrimination. However, groups confront different types of discrimination, which creates a problem that may not have merely one solution. Some discriminatory actions and practices involve taking advantage of racial and ethnic groups in ways that benefit some Americans and keep relative group status and economic positions stratified (i.e., exploitation). Other discriminatory actions and practices involve preserving traditional notions of what it means to be American and denying racial and ethnic groups their own American national identity (i.e., exclusion). The current project examines when and why these different forms of racial and ethnic discrimination are likely to occur, as well as the self-reinforcing nature of discrimination. The broad aim of this research is to provide important insights into the complex nature of racial and ethnic discrimination. Seven studies employ survey and experimental methods to investigate the cognitive, motivational, and social factors that lead to the exploitation and exclusion of racial and ethnic groups. First, this research tests specific predictions of the racial and ethnic stereotypes that tend to cause unique forms of discrimination. Perceiving a group as low status likely gives rise to exploitation, whereas perceiving a group as culturally foreign gives rise to exclusion. Second, this research examines the individual differences and social contexts that motivate some Americans to maintain socioeconomic differences between groups and preserve dominant cultural values and practices. Third, this research explores how exposure to existing patterns of exploitation and exclusion reinforce stereotypes about group status and cultural foreignness; those stereotypes, in turn, reproduce the same patterns of discrimination. This project advances an understanding of the psychological mechanisms of racial discrimination, provides mentorship opportunities to young researchers of color, and develops educational activities that foster awareness of racism. The project will contribute to precise and group-specific efforts that can reduce discrimination. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.