Perceived discrimination, categorization threat, and Dominican Americans' attitudes toward African Americans

This study examined whether members of one racial or ethnic minority group (i.e., Dominican Americans) express fewer positive attitudes toward members of a different racial or ethnic minority group (i.e., African Americans)-with which they do not identify-when they perceive that their group faces discrimination on a basis that categorizes them together with that other group (i.e., race).

Ninety-nine Dominican-American undergraduate students (Mage = 20.23, SD = 1.64; 53% women, 18% first generation) were randomly assigned to read a brief article stating that discrimination against Dominicans was based either on language or immigrant status (n = 48) or race (n = 51). Afterward they reported their attitudes toward and similarity to African Americans.

Dominican-American undergraduates who perceived that they were dissimilar to African Americans expressed fewer positive attitudes toward the group when told that Dominicans face discrimination because of race as opposed to because of their language and immigrant status.

The study suggests that perceived discrimination from White Americans can induce categorization threat and influence intraminority relations. Members of 1 racial or ethnic minority group can express fewer positive attitudes toward members of another group with which they do not feel similar when they perceive that members of both groups face discrimination based on a shared category. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).