Playing the Political Correctness Game - Essay Example

? Color blindness and interracial integration: Playing the Political Correctness Game Submission Color blindness and interracial integration: Playing the Political Correctness Game Part I: Description of the study The research report titled “Color blindness and interracial integration: Playing the Political Correctness Game” by Norton, Vandello, Biga and Darley (2006) is primarily based on two empirical studies that were conducted to investigate the efforts of the members of the white race to appear unprejudiced by attempting to be color blind. The authors argued that in normal conversations, people are often more reluctant to use race than other common descriptors when distinguishing the appearance of other people (Norton et al., 2006). The researchers also noted that Whites in particular often have a strong desire to appear unprejudiced and non racist by attempting to appear color blind when describing their Black counterparts. Consequently, the main research question is ‘why would noticing or mentioning another person’s race appear as the evidence of bias?’ In study 2, the authors examined the consequences of the perceived reluctance by using the concept of the political correctness game which generally involves two players identifying photographs. The game enables the researchers to effectively contrast the efficiency of communication with the motivation to appear color blind. The authors hypothesized that although people automatically recognize the race of other people with little effort, they often appear not to notice race in their conversations so as not to appear prejudiced. The researchers further suggested that the incongruity between the desires to appear color blind while internally recognizing color often complicate the strategic efforts of most individuals to appear unbiased thereby resulting in an inevitable tension between their attempts to appear color blind and their success of actually doing so. In study 2, White participants were engaged in a two player game where they were required to ask their partners certain questions in order to identify the same set of photos that had previously been used in study 1. The research methods used were both experimental and correlational. For example, the experimental part of the study 2 involved altering the variables, such as the age, race, facial expression and other dimensions of the photographs used in the study. After manipulating the variables, the participants were asked to state whether they would work with Black or White confederates. The independent variables included the racial descriptors used as well the number of questions asked by the participants; the dependent variables being measured included the photos categorized into 7 dimensions used in study 1. On the other hand, the correlations were between the African and White participants with particular focus on their communication and interpersonal behaviors. The results from the study suggested that although Whites were quick at identifying other people on the basis of their races, they were more reluctant to report that ability and avoided referring to race particularly when interacting with Black partners. This consequently resulted in Whites performing poorly on the experimental tasks as evidenced by their non verbal behaviors. Part II: The study conducted by Norton et al. (2006) connects with a number of theories and concepts of social psychology that have been discussed in class. For example, the findings that white individuals are generally reluctant to discuss race in the presence of their black counterparts is closely related to the concept that people’s behaviors, feelings, and thoughts are often influenced by their immediate social situations. One of the theories that best relate to the empirical study is the theory of social identity. Generally, social identity theory attempts to explain intergroup behavior of individuals based on the perceived legitimacy, status, and beliefs of the intergroup environment. A key assumption in this regard is that people often strive to achieve positive distinctiveness, and this sometimes involves concealing their inner feelings and beliefs. For example, the reluctance of Whites to categorize other people on the basis of race as seen in the study is not caused by their inability to recognize race, but is more likely to be attributed to their desire to appear unprejudiced. Part III: Critique of the research In my opinion, one of the likely limitations of the research conducted by Norton et al. (2006) is that measuring the desire of individuals to appear non-prejudiced is a complicated process; therefore, it cannot be achieved solely on the basis of color blindness. Consequently, the authors ought to have included other variables, such as body language, to enable them effectively conclude their study results. Additionally, although the researchers have primarily focused on the negative impacts of trying to appear non-prejudiced for whites, it is likely that some of the negative impacts described, such as poor performance, communication, and self-representation, extend to members of both races. On the other hand, one of the major strengths of the study is that the authors have effectively used correlational statistical analysis to ensure the accuracy of their results. To support their hypotheses, the others have also conducted a follow up study which confirmed that although the ability of the members of the two racial groups to categorize by race is the same, whites comparatively have lower estimates of this ability. Lastly, by using other dependent variables, such as background color in their research, the authors have proved that the reluctance of the whites to describe people on the basis of race is not caused by their inability to notice color but is rather attributed to association of color with ethnicity. The results of the two studies that examined what motivates individuals to feel reluctant distinguishing other people on the basis of race as well as the consequences of the perceived reluctance has a number of applications in the real world social setting. For example, the conclusion of the research can be used to provide a better understanding of the strained interracial interactions in workplaces and social settings. This can then be used to educate members of both Black and White communities on ways of avoiding prejudice without necessarily negatively affecting their self presentation and communication with the members of opposite race. References Norton, M. I., Vandello, J. A., Biga, A., & Darley, J. M. (2006). Color blindness and interracial integration: Playing the Political Correctness Game. Psychological Science, 17 (11), 949-953. Read More