chpt 12 - Aversive racism and contemporary bias

In the United States, the 1960s and early 1970s marked significant societal changes driven by the Civil Rights Movement.
These changes aimed to address racism by White Americans toward Black Americans, pursuing the nation's egalitarian ideals.
Civil Rights legislation made discrimination against Blacks not only immoral but also illegal.
Surveys indicated a reduction in overt prejudice among Whites against Blacks, signaling a shift in racial attitudes from overt to more subtle forms.
Other countries experienced similar changes, highlighting a global pattern where blatant prejudice declined but subtle biases persist.

This chapter discusses the evolution of theories on contemporary racism, particularly aversive racism.
It highlights the necessity of understanding implicit prejudice, its link to aversive racism, and potential interventions to reduce bias.

The changes in societal norms post-Civil Rights posed unique challenges for studying prejudice.
Despite declines in overt prejudice, private negative beliefs remain, often due to self-management of racial attitudes.
Individuals presenting themselves as non-biased in safe contexts might reveal exaggerated negative attitudes towards Blacks in situations where their true feelings could be detected (e.g., ‘bogus pipeline’ studies).
The 1970s sparked renewed research on subtle racism, leading to four significant theories:
1. Symbolic Racism
2. Modern Racism
3. Ambivalent Racism
4. Aversive Racism

Developed to explain why traditional measures failed to predict reactions to racially-targeted policies.
It comprises four core beliefs that blend conservative social values with early negative feelings towards Blacks:
a. Discrimination is a relic of the past. b. Black progress is hindered by their unwillingness to work. c. Black demands are excessive. d. Blacks have received more than they deserve.
Symbolic racism predicts political attitudes and behaviors concerning racially relevant policies better than old-fashioned racism.

Evolved from symbolic racism, differing in origins of bias.
Hypothesizes that negative attitudes arise from affective responses rooted in fear or disgust acquired through socialization.
Modern racism is indirectly expressed and measured through the Modern Racism Scale.
Similar to symbolic racism, it predicts opposition to policies aiding Blacks.

Introduced by Katz, acknowledging conflicting feelings towards Blacks that lead to intense emotional responses.
This psychological tension results in unpredictable behaviors, sometimes compensating with help after negative evaluations.

Characterizes the biases of politically and socially liberal individuals who consider themselves non-prejudiced while harboring unconscious negative beliefs about Blacks.
Aversive racists support racial equality yet experience discomfort, anxiety, or fear towards Blacks, complicating their self-image as non-prejudiced.
Unlike other forms of racism, aversive racism reflects subtler, indirect discrimination, arising when situational norms for behavior are ambiguous.
Research shows that aversive racism affects various behaviors, including employment decisions and interpersonal judgments.

Studies indicate aversive racism leads to subtle discrimination in hiring practices, suggesting that such biases persist despite the decline of overt prejudice.
For instance, in ambiguous decision-making contexts, aversive racism results in less favorable outcomes for Black candidates over equally qualified White candidates.

Younger children often exhibit more blatant biases, whereas older children begin to show patterns consistent with aversive racism, reflecting their awareness of societal norms.
Research suggests that egalitarian norms help reduce bias in interactions and decision-making for older children but not for younger ones.

Developments in measuring implicit attitudes reveal a significant gap between self-reported and actual implicit biases.
Techniques like the Implicit Association Test (IAT) demonstrate persistent implicit biases even among individuals who self-report as non-prejudiced.

Traditional prejudice reduction techniques often fail to address subtle biases effectively.
New strategies targeting implicit biases, such as perspective-taking training, show promise but need to be sustained for lasting change.
Organizations can enhance awareness of implicit biases and restructure decision-making processes to promote fairness and accountability.

Understanding contemporary bias forms such as aversive racism is essential for creating equitable societies.
Future research should explore the conditions under which implicit biases manifest overtly, relationships influenced by contemporary bias, and the treatment of racially intersecting identities.
There is a need to analyze how these biases operate beyond just individual interactions, examining broader societal dynamics.
Addressing aversive racism involves both collective recognition of biases and promoting empathy and understanding in intergroup relations.