Without the blame, histrionics or related, I find after pages of discussion about a certain party being racist that this is strangely surprising to see. No, one study is not proof, especially in social sciences.:
Quote:
Racial bias can put people of color at a disadvantage when interviewing for a job, buying a house, or interacting with the police. New research suggests that bias may also shape daily interactions between racial minorities and white people, even those whites who tend to be less biased.
According to new research by Cydney Dupree, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Yale SOM, white liberals tend to downplay their own verbal competence in exchanges with racial minorities, compared to how other white Americans act in such exchanges. The study is scheduled for publication in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Quote:
The team found that Democratic candidates used fewer competence-related words in speeches delivered to mostly minority audiences than they did in speeches delivered to mostly white audiences. The difference wasn*t statistically significant in speeches by Republican candidates, though *it was harder to find speeches from Republicans delivered to minority audiences,* Dupree notes. There was no difference in Democrats* or Republicans* usage of words related to warmth. *It was really surprising to see that for nearly three decades, Democratic presidential candidates have been engaging in this predicted behavior.*
Quote:
They designed a series of experiments in which white participants were asked to respond to a hypothetical or presumed-real interaction partner. For half of these participants, their partner was given a stereotypically white name (such as *Emily*); for the other half, their partner was given a stereotypically black name (such as *Lakisha*). Participants were asked to select from a list of words for an email to their partner. For some studies, this email was for a work-related task; for others, this email was simply to introduce themselves. Each word had been previously scored on how warm or competent it appears. The word *sad,* for example, scored low for both warmth and competence. *Melancholy,* on the other hand, scored high for competence and low on warmth.
Participant also completed a variety of measures that assessed how liberal they were.
The researchers found that liberal individuals were less likely to use words that would make them appear highly competent when the person they were addressing was presumed to be black rather than white. No significant differences were seen in the word selection of conservatives based on the presumed race of their partner. *It was kind of an unpleasant surprise to see this subtle but persistent effect,* Dupree says. *Even if it*s ultimately well-intentioned, it could be seen as patronizing.*
Now, the conclusion is interesting also:
Quote:
Dupree and Fiske suspect that the behavior stems from a liberal person*s desire to connect with other races. One possible reason for the *competence downshift,* as the authors describe it, is that, regardless of race, people tend to downplay their competence when they want to appear likeable and friendly. But it*s also possible that *this is happening because people are using common stereotypes in an effort to get along,* Dupree says.
Initial data from follow-up studies suggest that describing a black person as highly intelligent, thus reversing the stereotype, or as already highly motivated to get along with whites, thus removing the need to prove goodwill, can reduce the likelihood that a white person will downplay their competence in their interactions with the black person.
Do people here think, if the political spectrum had been different in the study, would it be concluded that conservatives were just trying to connect? Or is there another motive that would be assigned to their motivations?
It does match up with the results from the previous interviews I posted where the Berkeley students misunderstood the issues with voter ID and made similar conclusions.
Quote:
*There*s a lot of research focused on biased individuals and how holding bias, especially implicit bias, can influence social interactions,* Dupree says. *But that leaves a lot of people out. My hope is that this work will help include well-intentioned people who see themselves as allies but who may be unwittingly contributing to group divides. There is a broader need to include them in the conversation.*