The Nonverbal Transmission of Intergroup Bias: A Model of Bias Contagion with Implications for Social Policy

摘要: In June of 1998 James Byrd Jr., a black man, was beaten, chained to the back pick-up truck, and dragged for miles—his body literally torn pieces (Cropper, 1998). October that same year, Matthew Shepard, an openly gay university student tortured, tied wooden fence, left freeze death (Brooke, And as recently April 2010, three men used hot wire hanger brand swastika into arm disabled Navajo man (U.S. Attorney’s Office, 2010). Hate crimes are disturbing vivid examples explicit discrimination. They violate principles have, last half-century, motivated deluge laws, educational programs, public service announcements, other interventions aimed at eliminating These have largely been successful in reducing blatant one-on-one discrimination, including hate crimes. Yet accumulated patterns inequality seem contradict relative paucity North America, example, toxic waste sites unequally distributed near neighborhoods populated by racial minorities, wealth-gap has quadrupled decades, medically-necessary cardiac medications less likely be prescribed minorities (Bullard, Mohai, Saha, & Wright, 2007; Shapiro, Meschede, Sullivan, 2010; Smedley, Stith, Nelson, 2003). Central South American indigenous earn little 1/3 non-indigenous (White) men, Australian Aboriginal infants twice born pre-term compared infants, and, on average, European citizens opine their countries worse off because immigrants (de Ferranti, Perry, Ferreira, Walton, 2004; Langridge, Nassar, Li, Stanley, Zick, Pettigrew, Wagner, 2008). general, inequalities income, access housing, health may growing rather than receding (e.g., National Research Council, Pager 2008). There is thus contradiction between discrimination harmful discrimination: former greatly reduced while latter holding strong. Contemporary theories prejudice address this postulating endorsement egalitarianism often betrayed more subtly negative responses people from social groups (Dovidio, Kawakami, Johnson, Howard, 1997; Fazio, Jackson, Dunton, Williams, 1995). subtle thought drive equally only become obvious when Crosby, 1982), with noted discrepancies wealth, births, proximity waste. In article, we argue modern target transmission these biases. The propose based new model detailing bias. We intergroup bias unintentionally transmitted maintained through nonverbal behavior process describe “bias contagion”. introduce two-stage contagion can inform perhaps generally (see Figure 1). Figure 1 The model. side figure illustrates Stage 1 model, expression Nonverbal either occur veridical index expresser’s (direct causation) or ... After reviewing successes failures existing anti-discrimination efforts, present first stage our includes two means which becomes biased. outgroup attitudes “leaked” worries about appearing biased ironically cause (indirect causation). second describes how exposure causes observers adopt attitudes. Implicit learning, normative influence, informational influence together characterize stage. Next, relevant each Ultimately, conclude biases ranging racism homophobia training targeting contagion.