Changing Racial Prejudice Through Diversity Education

Abstract

The Modern Racism Scale (McConahay, 1986) was used to assess the impact of education and personality variables on college students' prejudicial attitudes toward African Americans. Prejudice was lower in students who completed a diversity course specifically addressing race and gender issues and in students who measured high in need for cognition (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982). A weak correlation between the prejudice scale and a social desirability scale (Crowne & Marlowe, 1960) suggested that students were not grossly underreporting their prejudicial beliefs. Diversity courses in higher education were effective in improving students' intergroup tolerance.

Reviewing Diversity Training: Where We Have Been and Where We Should Go

“…With respect to affective learning, we found that short-term attitudes (e.g., Rudman, 2001) were the most studied outcomes of diversity training (N ϭ 55), and 21 studies reported long-term effects for affective or attitudinal learning. There was some evidence suggesting that the changes in attitudinal learning could persist over 6 months (Thomas & Cohn, 2006) and deteriorate after 1 year (Hogan & Mallott, 2005;Neville, Heppner, Louie, Thompson, Brooks, & Baker, 1996). Turning to behavioral learning, we found that 37 studies reported short-term effects (e.g., Hauenstein et al, 2010), whereas 18 studies focused on long-term behavioral consequences of diversity training (e.g., Kalev et al, 2006;Roberson et al, 2009).…”

“…Participants who were cognitively busy and who had been instructed to suppress thoughts about applicant age evaluated an older applicant more negatively than participants in other experimental conditions (Kulik et al, 2000). Further, students who measured high in need for cognition had lower prejudice scores than students who measured low in need for cognition, yet this difference was the same under the condition of being told to suppress thoughts about age (Hogan & Mallott, 2005). There has been some empirical evidence suggesting that trainees' cultural attributes may have an effect on diversity training outcomes (Holladay & Quinones, 2005;Kulik et al, 2007).…”

“…Participants' cognitive busyness and a need for cognition (a relatively stable curiosity disposition to engage in and enjoy effortful thinking) have received some attention in the literature (Hogan & Mallott, 2005;Kulik et al, 2000;Roberson et al, 2001). Participants who were cognitively busy and who had been instructed to suppress thoughts about applicant age evaluated an older applicant more negatively than participants in other experimental conditions (Kulik et al, 2000).…”

Political Tolerance and Prejudice: Differential Reactions Toward Muslims in the Netherlands

“…Individuals who endorse multiculturalism appear to feel less threatened by minority groups and multicultural ideology involves the acceptance of diversity and equal opportunities. Multiculturalism can provide and promote positive evaluative contexts (Hogan & Mallott, 2005;Wolsko et al, 2000). However, multicultural interventions should be sensitive to the danger that they can lead to reified and essentialist group distinctions that promote group stereotyping and that endangers social unity and cohesion in particular settings (e.g., Verkuyten, 2006;Vogt, 1997).…”

School xenophobia and interethnic relationships among secondary level pupils in Spain

“…A sentiment of anti-immigration implies an antagonism towards public programmes or policies that promote equality, coupled with a denial of the existence of discrimination (Evans-Winters and Twyman Hoff 2011;Flecha 1999;Hogan and Mallott 2005;Pérez-Yruela and Desrues 2006;Wieviorka 1992). As regards the concept of stereotype, understood as prejudice against others, it is an appraisal applied in indiscriminate fashion, resulting from an a priori categorisation without rational or scientific foundation or a basis in personal experience through contact with members of the group in question.…”