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Using the Race Model Inequality to Quantify Behavioral Multisensory Integration Effects
Published on: May 10, 2019
Discordant evaluations of Blacks affect nonverbal behavior
Michael A Olson1, Russell H Fazio
1University of Tennessee, USA.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|June 5, 2007
Summary
Automatic prejudice leads to nonverbal discomfort when general racial attitudes clash with specific evaluations. This discordance was perceived as insincere by Black judges, but not White judges.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Nonverbal Communication
- Racial Bias Studies
Background:
- Previous research linked automatic prejudice to direct nonverbal behavior.
- A more nuanced understanding of automatic processes and nonverbal cues is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the relationship between automatic racial prejudice and nonverbal behavior.
- To investigate the role of attitude discordance in nonverbal expressions of discomfort.
- To examine perceptions of sincerity based on nonverbal cues.
Main Methods:
- White participants' automatic prejudice was measured.
- Participants provided videotaped evaluations of Black and White individuals.
- Nonverbal behavior during evaluations was analyzed for discomfort.
- Naïve Black and White judges rated the sincerity of participants.
Main Results:
- Discordance between general racial attitudes and specific evaluations correlated with discomfort in nonverbal behavior.
- Black judges, unlike White judges, perceived participants exhibiting discordance as less sincere.
- Nonverbal 'leakage' was observed when automatic prejudice conflicted with expressed evaluations.
Conclusions:
- Nonverbal discomfort signals arise from a conflict between automatic racial attitudes and specific judgments, not just negative attitudes.
- Perceptions of sincerity regarding racial evaluations are influenced by nonverbal cues and intergroup dynamics.
- Automatic prejudice can subtly manifest through nonverbal behavior, impacting how sincerity is perceived by different racial groups.
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