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Although culture influences all human beings, there is an assumption in American psychology that culture matters more for members of certain groups. This article identifies and provides evidence of the cultural (mis)attribution bias: a tendency to overemphasize the role of culture in the behavior of racial/ethnic minorities, and to underemphasize it in the behavior of Whites. Two studies investigated the presence of this bias with an examination of a decade of peer reviewed research conducted in the United States (N = 434 articles), and an experiment and a survey with psychology professors in the United States (N = 361 psychologists). Archival analyses revealed differences in the composition of samples used in studies examining cultural or noncultural psychological phenomena. We also find evidence to suggest that psychologists in the United States favor cultural explanations over psychological explanations when considering the behavior and cognition of racial/ethnic minorities, whereas the opposite pattern emerged in reference to Whites. The scientific ramifications of this phenomenon, as well as alternatives to overcome it, are discussed in detail. (PsycINFO Database Record

The authors investigated the moderating effect of school racial composition in the relationship between internalization of the model minority myth and psychological distress among Asian American adolescents. The model minority myth is the stereotype of Asian Americans as more successful than other racial minority groups because of values emphasizing hard work, achievement, and belief in the "American dream" (Yoo, Burrola, & Steger, 2010). The following 2 aspects of this myth were assessed: the myth of achievement orientation (M-Achievement), the degree to which participants attribute Asian Americans' comparative success to achievement, and the myth of unrestricted mobility (M-Mobility), the degree to which participants believe Asian Americans have unrestricted upward mobility (Yoo et al., 2010). The sample included 367 Asian American adolescents (58% female, M age ϭ 16.33) attending two high schools-a predominantly Asian school on the West Coast and a predominantly non-Asian school in the Southwest. Data were analyzed using multiple group path analysis. Results indicated that Asian American adolescents in the predominantly non-Asian school were more likely to internalize the model minority myth than adolescents in the predominantly Asian school. Moreover, the school moderated the M-Mobility-psychological distress link. In summary, being in a predominantly Asian school was related to lower levels of internalization of the model minority myth. Furthermore, internalization of the myth of unrestricted mobility increased depression and anxiety for adolescents in the predominantly Asian school, whereas it decreased stress for adolescents living in the predominantly non-Asian school. Implications of these findings are discussed. What is the public significance of this article?The current study seeks to understand the role of context in internalizing the stereotype that Asian Americans face fewer barriers to success compared with other racial/ethnic minority groups. Results suggest that the extent to which Asian American adolescents internalize the stereotype and the relationship between internalization and psychological distress vary depending on the racial composition of their high school. These findings highlight the complexity of stereotype internalization for Asian Americans.

In this brief report, the authors investigate how different types of parental racial-ethnic socialization messages (i.e., cultural socialization/pluralism, promotion of mistrust, and preparation for racial bias) moderate the relationship between racial discrimination and psychological distress in a sample of 187 Asian American adolescents. Results indicated a significant positive relationship between racial discrimination and psychological distress. Cultural socialization/pluralism and promotion of mistrust also moderated the racial discrimination and psychological distress link. Specifically, for adolescents reporting low frequencies of cultural socialization/pluralism messages, discrimination was positively associated with psychological distress, suggesting cultural socialization/pluralism messages may be a protective factor. Discrimination was also positively associated with psychological distress for adolescents reporting high frequencies of promotion of mistrust, suggesting that promotion of mistrust may be a risk factor. Overall, the findings emphasize the important role that racial-ethnic socialization messages can have on psychological distress among Asian American adolescents who experience racial discrimination. (PsycINFO Database Record