Moving while Black: Intergroup attitudes influence judgments of speed

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Perception

Background:

• Intergroup attitudes significantly impact social perception.
• Previous research indicates biases in perceiving outgroup members.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if intergroup attitudes, specifically intergroup anxiety, affect the perceived speed of Black individuals.
• To explore the conditions under which this perceptual bias occurs.

Main Methods:

• Four experiments were conducted using Black and White faces presented as moving.
• Participants rated the speed of approaching targets.
• Intergroup anxiety levels were measured.

Main Results:

• Higher intergroup anxiety correlated with judging Black targets as moving slower than White targets.
• This effect was specific to approaching targets.
• Perceived duration of movement contributed to the slowing bias.

Conclusions:

• Intergroup anxiety creates a bias in perceiving the movement speed of Black individuals.
• This perceptual slowing is linked to threat perception and time expansion phenomena.