BIO

Sophie is a Sophomore at Florida State, double majoring in Public Relations and Psychology. If you can’t find her hammocking on Landis, she’s probably journaling at local coffee shops or going hiking with her friends! Sophie’s research focus is prejudice, bias, and social motivations, with cross-cultural analysis. She is currently studying the intergroup dynamic of prejudice, the perceived malleability of prejudiced mindsets, and how we can promote collective action for groups experiencing oppression. Sophie is excited to continue this line of research outside of UROP and is currently in training to become a UROP Leader for the upcoming school year.

The Malleability of Prejudiced Mindsets: A Psychological Exploration Involving Race and Sexuality

Abstract

Do people with prejudiced mindsets have the capacity for change? How do beliefs about prejudice change the way people interact? In our research, we explored how beliefs about the malleability of prejudiced mindsets influence interactions between groups. Study 1 investigated the relationship of race and the perception of prejudice as a malleable or fixed mindset, and Study 2 further extended this line of research by looking at participant sexuality. We hypothesized that minority group members would view prejudice toward their own group as more fixed than majority group members. In Study 1, Black (N=144) and non-Black (N=156) American participants (N=303) completed an online survey through CloudResearch. This survey implemented SOMI (Suspicion of Motivations Index) questions to obtain participants' beliefs about personal (internal) and social (external) motivations of others. In study 2, gay and non-gay American participants (N=280) completed an online survey through CloudResearch, utilizing SOMI questions. Data was analyzed using ANOVA, as well as Independent Samples T-tests and Regression Analyses. Results for suggest that Black participants viewed prejudice toward Black people as less malleable and more fixed than non-black participants (M=2.65, SD=1.42). Group perception differences in the frequency of everyday prejudice and the impact of legislation on reducing prejudice mediated beliefs about whether or not prejudice is malleable. Suspicion of non-Black people’s motivations to interact without prejudiced independently mediated these group differences. In Study 2, there was no significant difference in perceptions of prejudice between gay and non-gay participants.

Keywords: Psychology, Prejudice, Race, Sexuality, Black