Racial attention deficit.

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Organizational Behavior
• Racial Equity Studies

Background:

• Minority group members often report being ignored and their contributions undervalued in organizations.
• Despite diversity and equity efforts, persistent disparities suggest underlying mechanisms need investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate patterns of attention and their racial disparities in a large-scale, multiyear study.
• To provide causal evidence for a 'racial attention deficit' where White Americans pay less attention to Black peers.

Main Methods:

• A baseline incentivized puzzle study where participants' willingness to follow White vs. Black peers' examples was examined.
• Two intervention studies: one providing information on past accomplishments, and another allowing direct observation of accomplishments.

Main Results:

• White participants presumed Black peers were less competent and did not learn from their choices in the baseline study.
• Providing information about past accomplishments reduced evaluation disparities but did not eliminate the attention deficit.
• Directly witnessing Black peers' accomplishments significantly reduced the racial attention deficit.

Conclusions:

• A 'racial attention deficit' exists, where White Americans underattend to Black peers, impacting perceived competence and learning.
• Experiential learning (witnessing accomplishments) is more effective than informational learning in mitigating this deficit.
• This deficit may contribute to documented racial gaps in science, education, health, and law.