Attributions to discrimination against Black victims in a multiracial society: Isolating the effect of perpetrator group membership

Abstract

As the U.S. becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, interactions between Black people and other minority groups have become increasingly common. The present research examined how a perpetrator’s group membership affects judgments of employment discrimination against a Black victim. Four experiments (combined N=1,016) tested predictions derived from the prototype model of discrimination. Participants reviewed a case file where a Black, Latino, Asian, or White manager rejected a Black job applicant. Attributions to discrimination were much stronger for a Latino, Asian, or White manager compared to a Black manager. Attributions to discrimination were slightly stronger when for a White manager compared to an Asian or Latino manager; however, effect sizes for these differences were small. Attributions to discrimination were similar for the Asian and Latino managers. Whether the perpetrator had outgroup standing relative to the victim was the strongest factor influencing attributions to discrimination for a Black victim of employment discrimination.

When Do Observers Deprioritize Due Process for the Perpetrator and Prioritize Safety for the Victim in Response to Information-Poor Allegations of Harm?

“…However, there are numerous individual, cultural, or ideological factors that may drive prototype perceptions and biases (MacLaury, 1991) and the extent to which the observers will prioritize due process or safety (for a discussion, see Graso et al, 2020). Multiple stereotypes might even clash to yield mixed effects, so we invite researchers to consider the intersectional influences of all the parties involved (see Ponce De Leon & Rosette, 2022; O’Brien & Merritt, 2022). Third, despite observing the effects of prototypicality on lower requests for evidence in Studies 3 and 4 using a percentage-based variable, we encourage caution in interpreting these findings, as these effects may vary across measurement approaches (see Study 3 Results discussion).…”