Analysis of Articles about Racism and Psychology - Annotated Bibliography Example

Annotated Bibliography Topic: Racism and Psychology Source enrolled in Psychology of Prejudice and Introductory Psychology courses completed measures of racism, sexism, and attitudes toward homosexuals at the beginning and end of the term. We predicted that those who took part in the Psychology of Prejudice class would have significantly reduced prejudice as a result of the course experience. We also predicted that the Introductory Psychology students would show a minimal decrease in prejudice. As predicted, students in the prejudice class showed significant decreases in prejudice, while the introductory psychology students did not. Course involvement was related to greater prejudice reduction in two prejudice areas, but course grade was not related to prejudice reduction. We discuss the implications for prejudice reduction through class activities and education.” Brief Description of Research Study: This study was performed with the intention of measuring the impact of certain psychology courses in reducing prejudice in students. Research Questions: The authors asked if a completing a Psychology of Prejudice course would lead to a reduction of racism, sexism, and negative homosexual attitudes in students. They also wanted to learn if taking an Introductory Psychology class would have similar effects. Research Methods: Subjects (students) attended either a Psychology of Prejudice course or an Introductory Psychology course three times a week for a ten-week school term (80 minute periods each). Before classes began and after the term completion, subjects filled out questionnaires that measured racism, sexism, and attitudes towards homosexuals using a five-point Likert scale. The measurement of self-involvement was self-reported on a ten-point Likert scale. Study Participants: Participants were students from a small, private college. There were 99 subjects in total with 33 taking a Psychology of Prejudice course and 66 taking Introductory Psychology. The first group (Prejudice course) were 94% Caucasian, 73% female, and averaged near 20 years old. The larger Introductory group was 95% Caucasian, 59% female, and averaged just under 19 years old. Outcomes/Conclusions: As the authors predicted, completion of a Psychology of Prejudice class id lead to a reduction in racism (modern and old-fashioned), sexism (modern and old-fashioned), and negative attitudes towards homosexuals. The Introductory group only saw a reduction in modern sexism. There was no link between reductions and class marks, but self-involvement was related to old-fashioned sexism and homosexual attitude improvements. The authors suggest that a higher starting prejudice score may be related to the lack of reduction in Introductory subjects. Strengths of the Research Design: 1. Over 30 subjects, allows for the use of standardized normal distribution statistics. 2. The use of questionnaires that could be easily coded for quantitative scoring. 3. Groups were clearly identified by differing course content. Trustworthiness of Study: The strengths listed above do not add to the trustworthiness of the study. They are representations of aspects that should be “given” considering the study design, but this research had very few strengths to be noted. Weaknesses of the Research Design: 1. No control group so full effects cannot be measured. 2. Experiment was not blind in any form. 3. Lack of variability in subject pool. Threats to Credibility: This study has some major flaws that make the results questionable. In addition to the weaknesses listed above, the self-reporting of data introduces personal confounds that could result in unreliable data. Recommendations for Improvements: 1. The addition of a control group in the form of a non-psychology class would have improved the validity of this study. 2. Use a more diverse group of subjects. I realize this was a convenience-sampling situation, but collaboration with another college may be an option to achieve this improvement. Connection Between Study and Topic I believe that this study has some information to add to the discussion of how school course content may affect the prejudiced beliefs of students, but the application of these results to a wider population is not possible due to the limitations of the study. Additionally, as noted by the authors, the study offers no proof of long-term effects, and so the usefulness of the change seen in this experiment will be unknown until it is determined if these effects last. Source 2 ABSTRACT: Despite widespread recognition that experiences of social discrimination can lead to poor physical and mental health outcomes for members of minority groups, little is known about how U.S. ethnic minority men who have sex with men (MSM) manage their experiences of racism and homophobia. We conducted six focus group discussions (n = 50) and 35 in-depth interviews with African American, Latino, and Asian and Pacific Islander MSM (aged 18 or older) recruited in Los Angeles. This process revealed five strategies that MSM of color employed in order to mitigate the impact of racism and homophobia. To minimize opportunities for stigmatization, men used (a) concealment of homosexuality and (b) disassociation from social settings associated with stigmatization. To minimize the impact of experienced stigma, men (c) dismissed the stigmatization and (d) drew strength and comfort from external sources. Men also actively countered stigmatization by (e) direct confrontation. More research is needed to understand the efficacy of these coping strategies in mitigating negative health consequences of stigmatization and discrimination. Brief Description of Research Study: This study was executed with the intent of discovering the strategies used by men who have sex with men (MSM) to combat stigma and discrimination. Research Questions: The authors wanted to know what strategies MSM use to cope with both sexual and racial discrimination and stigma. They were also interested in discovering how these strategies differed across races/ethnicities. Additionally, they test the validity of a stigma-dimension responding system developed by Miller and Kaiser in 2001. Research Methods: This research utilized qualitative information (surveys and interviews) from the developmental stage of a larger quantitative study of MSM. The responses to these queries were “open coded” to determine themes in the data, followed by “axial coding” in which the themes and sub-constructs were related to each other. Study Participants: The focus group had 50 participants. All were MSM (had at least one male partner in the last six months), and groups were subdivided by race/ethnicity (17 African American, 17 Latino, and 16 Asian/Pacific Islander) as well as by age (18-29 and 30-50 years old). There were thirty-five participants for the in-depth interview (12 African Americal, 11 Latino, and 12 Asian/Pacific Islander with 16 men between 18-29 years of age and 19 were over 30 years old. Outcomes/Conclusions: The authors found that this culturally diverse group of MSM uses five strategies for managing the discrimination and stigma that comes with race and sexuality. The strategies are: 1) Conceal sexuality, 2) Dissociation from social settings, 3) Dismissing stigmatization, 4) Getting strength and comfort from outside sources, and 5) Direct confrontation. These strategies were used across all groups in the study, but sometimes for difference reasons. (Example: black men use concealment for self-preservation, while others use it to keep family and friends from having to deal with it). Strengths of the Research Design: 1. Large sample size. 2. Diverse subject pool. 3. The use of double coding for qualitative data. Trustworthiness of Study: I believe that this study is quite trustworthy based on the strengths of the design and the interpretation of the researchers. Weaknesses of the Research Design: 1. Qualitative studies are always subject to an element of interpretation. 2. Sample specific to the Los Angeles MSM community, which may be different from others. 3. Different types of MSM (gay, bisexual, etc.) were not identified in the study. Threats to Credibility: The weaknesses in the study do not present a large threat to its credibility. While qualitative data is interpretative, there are well-known methods to sustain a level of objectivity that should allow for accurate coding. The other weaknesses limit this study minimally without taking from validity. Recommendations for Improvements: 1. Include samples from a wide range of communities. 2. Differentiate types of MSM to provide even more information from this type of study. Connection Between Study and Topic I believe that this study adds greatly to the examination of how an ethnically diverse group of MSM handles the stigma and discrimination that they face. The research also provides sorely needed information about minority groups. The design of this study is solid, and it can be easily modified to provide an even greater deal of information. Read More