AP51228

Prompt: Science Summary

Psychological scientists at the University of Kansas and Texas A&M University conducted an experiment to find out if ignorance about the extent of racial discrimination in history determined the perception of racism in modern American society. The researchers had one hundred and ninety-nine European Americans and seventy-four African American college students complete a test on African American history and judge whether statements of past incidents of racial discrimination were true or false. The statements were either well-documented historical events or plausible, but fictitious incidents of racism. The participants were then asked to complete measures of self-esteem in relation to their racial identity and their perceptions of systematic and individual incidents of racism. The researchers found that students in both the white and black groups who had greater historical knowledge than their counterparts were more likely to answer the questions correctly. However, as a group, the African Americans more accurately identified historical instances of racism. (Nelson) Also, researchers found that social identity may influence perceptions of racism. The African American students who reported a greater connection between their self-esteem and racial identity perceived systematic and individual incidents of racism were more prevalent in society, while European American students who reported a greater relevance of racial identity perceived less racism in society. (Nelson) This information relates to a previous study conducted in 1999 that found about fifty percent of African Americans and forty percent of Hispanic Americans believed that racial discrimination is a significant factor in education, employment, and housing, while less than one-third of whites agreed. (Wood, 465) Another study, with a larger experimental group and varying ages would make the scientists findings more validated.

References: Nelson, Jessica, Glen Adams, and Phia Salter. "Claims of "Post-Racial" Society and Other Denials of Racism May Reflect Ignorance of History."//Association for Psychological Science//. Association for Psychological Science, 15 Jan. 2013. Web. 06 Aug. 2014.

Wood, Samuel E., Ellen R. Green. Wood, and Denise Roberts. Boyd. //Mastering the World of Psychology //. Fourth ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2011. Print.

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