Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mental Representations Of Surface- And Deep-Level Diversity, Alexandria S. Vandenberg

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Conservatives exhibit backlash to surface-level diversity initiatives (e.g., race-based initiatives), but view deep-level diversity (e.g., ideological diversity) positively. I examined whether conservative preferences for deep- (vs. surface-level) diversity reflects preferences for different forms of diversity, or preferences for forms of diversity that may advantage White people. In one pre-registered two wave study (Total N = 600) I examined liberals’ and conservatives’ perceptions and mental representations of surface- (vs. deep-level) diversity using a reverse correlation task. Images were then rated with respect to perceived race and stereotype-relevant attributes. As expected, participants perceived organizations that emphasized surface- vs. deep-level diversity to be …

Does Protest “Distract” Athletes From Performing? Evidence From The National Anthem Demonstrations In The National Football League, Daniel Hawkins, Andrew M. Lindner, Douglas Hartmann, Brianna Cochran

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

While there is a long tradition of activism within sport, a popular criticism of athlete protest is that it is a “distraction” that hinders on-field performance. The widespread demonstrations against racial injustice in 2017 among players in the National Football League (NFL) provided an opportunity to test this “distraction hypothesis.” Using data drawn from multiple sources, we first explored which factors predicted player protest, finding that Black players and those playing for underdogs were more likely to protest. Then, using a series of analyses at the player-game level (n = 19,051) and the team-game level (n = 512), …

Racial Differences In Conceptualizing Legitimacy And Trust In Police, Erin M. Kearns, Emma Ashooh, Belen Lowrey-Kinberg

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Scholarly debate on how best to conceptualize legitimacy and trust in police has generally assumed these conceptualizations are stable across demographics. Recent evidence, however, suggests that this may not be the case. We examine how the public conceptualizes legitimacy and trust in police, how public conceptualizations relate to academic debate on these terms, and how public views differ between and within racial groups. This work is exploratory, though it is rooted in differences found in theoretically driven empirical work on the subject. Data are from online, national samples of White (N = 650), Black (N = 624), and …

Disparity Does Not Mean Bias: Making Sense Of Observed Racial Disparities In Fatal Officer-Involved Shootings With Multiple Benchmarks, Brandon Tregle, Justin Nix, Geoffrey P. Alpert

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Racial disparities in officer-involved shootings have dominated the national discourse recently. Unfortunately, we have yet to identify an appropriate benchmark, or at-risk population, to put these observed racial disparities into context. In this article, we use seven benchmarks—based on population data from the US Census, police-citizen interaction data from the Police-Public Contact Survey, and arrest data from the Uniform Crime Report—to compare OIS fatality rates for black and white citizens from 2015 to 2017. Using population, police-citizen interactions, or total arrests as a benchmark, we observe that black citizens appear more likely than white citizens to be fatally shot by …

Investigating Perceptions Of Race And Ethnic Diversity Among Prospective Police Officers, Natalie Todak, Jessica Huff, Lois James

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Many have suggested police diversity will improve police-community relations, but research testing this hypothesis is inconclusive. We investigated perceptions of police race, ethnicity, and diversity in a heterogeneous sample of prospective police officers. Data are drawn from interviews with 42 criminal justice college students in the Southwestern United States, of which 15 were Hispanic, and who each wanted to become a police officer. Participants supported diversity in policing, and collectively expressed a belief that race plays a central role in policing today. Furthermore, participants expressed support for the ideals of both passive and active representative bureaucracy. Hispanics in the sample …

Demeanor, Race, And Police Perceptions Of Procedural Justice: Evidence From Two Randomized Experiments, Justin Nix, Justin T. Pickett, Scott E. Wolfe, Bradley A. Campbell

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing recently endorsed procedural justice as a way to restore trust between police and communities. Yet police–citizen interactions vary immensely, and research has yet to give sufficient consideration to the factors that might affect the importance officers place on exercising procedural justice during interactions. Building on research examining “moral worthiness” judgments and racial stereotyping among police officers, we conducted two randomized experiments to test whether suspect race and demeanor affect officers’ perceptions of the threat of violence and importance of exercising procedural justice while interacting with suspicious persons. We find that suspect race …

Do Race And Ethnicity Matter? An Examination Of Racial/Ethnic Differences In Perceptions Of Procedural Justice And Recidivism Among Problem-Solving Court Clients, Cassandra A. Atkin-Plunk, Jennifer H. Peck, Gaylene Armstrong

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Over the years, a distinct body of research has emerged that examines procedural justice in problem-solving courts. However, there is virtually no research to date on racial and ethnic differences in perceptions of procedural justice among problem-solving court clients. The present study seeks to understand the complexities of judicial procedural justice and race/ethnicity within problem-solving courts. Using a convenience sample of 132 clients from two problem-solving courts in a southern state, this study addresses a void in the literature by examining the influence of race/ethnicity on perceptions of procedural justice as well as the impact of race/ethnicity and procedural justice …

Dating And Sexuality Among Minority Adolescents With Disabilities: An Application Of Sociocultural Theory, Kristen Faye Linton, Heidi Adams Rueda

Social Work Faculty Publications

Adolescents with disabilities, American Indians, Hispanics, and African Americans are more likely to experience victimization and pregnancy as teens. This study explored ethnic and racial minority youth with disabilities’ dating and sexual experiences from the perspectives of social workers using Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Thirteen in-depth interviews were conducted with master’s degree–holding high school social work practitioners. Social workers described family beliefs and practices, socioeconomic status, special education, historical influences, and resiliency as aspects of adolescents’ lives that impacted their dating and sexuality. Social workers’ dialogue concerning family beliefs and attitudes toward abusive relationships were interpreted as internally oriented signs used …

Nebraska Natural Change By Race/Ethnicity: 2005 To 2010, David J. Drozd

Past Publications

The natural phenomena of people being born and people passing away occur every day. Demographers call the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths “natural change”. Natural change and the net movement of persons to/from an area are factors that lead its population to change. While our office has analyzed these population change components in total, we can now break them into sub-groups such as by race/ethnicity.

State Fertility Rates For Women Aged 15‐50 And By Race: 2006‐2010 Timeframe, David J. Drozd

Past Publications

State Fertility Rates for Women Aged 15‐50 and by Race (2006-2010)

Different Regions, Similar Views, Gregory A. Petrow

Political Science Faculty Publications

U.S. regions have had radically different political histories. The South long has been seen as the nation’s most conservative region, while New England has been perceived as the most liberal.

An examination of 40 years of survey data generated by the American National Election Study, however, suggests that differences between the South and New England on social issues tend to be small, are getting smaller, and in some instances have disappeared.

Race And Local Television News Crime Coverage, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt

Communication Faculty Publications

Viewers of local television newscasts across the United States are regularly exposed to crime news stories. Crime coverage by local television stations is studied with an interest in how live reporting, dramatic video, and timeliness influence perceptions of race in the United States. Crime coverage did not always identify the race of a suspect because that information often was not available from police. However, when violent criminals or suspects were identified, race normally was shown through a mug shot, photograph, or video from the scene. When an African-American suspect was shown in police custody, the images tended to reinforce existing …

National Survey Shows Half-Century Trend Away From Democrats, Gregory A. Petrow

Political Science Faculty Publications

The partisan realignment in the South is a well-known fact. The 20th century began with the South solidly in the hands of the Democratic Party. This was true because the Southern Democratic Party look positions congruent with the Southern electorate's public policy preferences: namely, a states-centered view of government and an opposition to more egalitarian racial Policy.

Class Replaces Race: Re-Emergence Of Neopopulism In Mississippi Politics, Tip H. Allen Jr., Dale Krane

Public Administration Faculty Publications

After being dominated for two and one-half decades by strong racial appeals, battlelines in Mississippi 's gubernatorial contests showed a significant shift in the early 1970s. Instead of defining public alternatives in terms of race, candidates began to define them in terms of class. A reemergence of the neopopulist appeal, which was so effective in the early decades of this century, has occurred and has been a major factor in the election of Mississippi's last two chief executives. The changing trends in gubernatorial politics and some of their implications are the primary concerns of this article. Some observations also will …

The Effects Of Race And Potential For Conflict On Eye Behavior In Females, Deborah J. Barclay

Student Work

The number of studies in the area of nonverbal communication has increased rapidly during the last ten years. Researchers have investigated various codes people use to communication (nonverbally: body movement, vocal characteristics, touch, eye contact, and gestures). The influence of nonverbal communication on human interaction has led one researcher to conclude that no more than 35 percent of the social meaning of a message is carried in the verbal portion of a message, while 65 percent of a message's meaning is transmitted nonverbally (Harrison, 1965).

The Racial Attitudes Of Black Children As A Function Of Skin Color Of Teacher, Anna Marie D'Aguillo

Student Work

The racial preferences of black third grade children as a function of the race of present and previous teachers were investigated. It was hypothesized that those Ss exposed to black teachers would be more favorable toward black skin than those not exposed. A variation of the Clark and Clark doll test (1947), involving both positive and negative questions was used, along with a two-minute Doll Play situation. The results showed no systematic variation in color preference according to the race of teacher. Both male and female Ss chose like-self dolls, however, and manifested a general favorability toward black skin. The …

Favorability As Influenced By Frequency Of Exposure To Black And White College Seniors, Michael R. Baum

Student Work

Zajonc's (1968) "mere exposure" effect was replicated by measuring change in favorability toward black and white college seniors. Following a preexperimental selection of the five most neutral slides for each race by sex category, 40 experimental and 40 control group subjects rated ten black and ten white slides on a pre- and a posttest. The experimental treatment consisted of ten exposure sequences of the 20 slides, whereas the control group performed an inverted alphabet printing task. A repeated measures analysis of variance, conducted on the subjects, favorability ratings for both the pre- and the posttests, supported the hypothesis that a …

Favorability As A Function Of Exposure, Race, And Initial Affective Rating, Kenneth W. Nikels

Student Work

Zajonc (1968) proposed that repeated exposure to a stimulus is a sufficient condition for the enhancement of an attitude toward it. The "mere exposure" hypothesis is of such generality that it has many far-reaching implications, one of which is the consequences of biracial experiences. Integration of schools, housing, and employment all seem to be partially based upon Zajonc's hypothesis, as are Black Studies courses and Black media exposure. The underlying assumption of each of these examples is, in part, that biracial exposure will produce more favorable racial attitudes.