Whites are stereotyped as ignorant of race issues, and African Americans as race experts. Therefore they may respond differently when discussing race. We examined whether Whites and African Americans adopt ‘teacher’ versus ‘learner’ roles when discussing race-relevant versus race-irrelevant topics in mixed-race versus same-race groups. Furthermore, we tested whether concern about appearing prejudiced and prior knowledge of the topic predicted role adopted. Results confirmed that African Americans adopted a ‘teacher’ role whereas Whites adopted a ‘learner’ role during interracial discussions about race. Assuming a teacher role predicted greater willingness to engage in future interracial discussions about race; but Whites, who were concerned about appearing prejudiced when talking about race, were less likely to adopt a teacher role than African Americans.
Aiken, L.S., & West, S.G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications.
2.
Berger, C.R. ( 2004). Speechlessness: Causal attributions, emotional features and social consequences. Journal of Language and Social Psychology , 23, 147–179.
3.
Clark, C. (2002). Diversity initiatives in higher education: Intergroup dialogues on campus. Multicultural Education , 9, 30–32.
4.
Cohen, J., & Cohen, J. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
5.
Collins, P. ( 1993). Toward a new vision: Race, class, and gender as categories of analysis and connection. Race, Sex and Class, 1, 36–45.
6.
Dalton, H. (1995). Racial healing: Confronting the fear between blacks and whites. New York: Doubleday.
7.
Fine, M., Weis, L., Pruitt, L. P., & Burns, A. ( 2004). Off-white: Readings on power, privilege, and resistance (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge .
8.
Fiske, S.T. ( 1998). Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (4th ed., pp. 357–411). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
9.
Frantz, C.M., Cuddy, A.J.C., Burnett, M., Ray , H., & Hart, A. (2004). A threat in the computer: The race implicit association test as a stereotype threat experiencePersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin30, 1611-1624
10.
Gijlers, H., & de Jong, T. ( 2004). The relation between prior knowledge and students’ collaborative discovery learning processes. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 42, 264-282.
11.
Goff, P.A., Steele, C.M., & Davies, P.G. ( 2008). The space between us: Stereotype threat and distance in interracial interactions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 91-107.
12.
Li, H.Z. ( 1999). Communicating information in conversations: A cross-cultural comparison. International Journal of Intercultural Relations , 23, 387-409.
13.
Marx, D., & Goff, P. ( 2005). Clearing the air: The effect of experimenter race on target’s test performance and subjective experience. British Journal of Social Psychology, 44, 645-657.
14.
Monteith, M.J. ( 1993). Self-regulation of prejudiced responses: Implications for progress in prejudice-reduction efforts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 469-485.
15.
Nagda, B.A., Kim, C., & Truelove, Y. ( 2004). Learning about differences, learning with others, learning to transgress. Journal of Social Issues, 60, 195-214.
Neblett, E., Philip, C., Cogburn, C., & Sellers, R. ( 2006). African American adolescents’ discrimination experiences and academic achievement: Racial socialization as a cultural compensatory and protective factor. Journal of Black Psychology, 32, 199-218.
18.
Niemann, Y.F., & Secord, P.F. ( 1995). Social ecology of stereotyping. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 25, 1-13.
19.
Norton, M.I., Sommers, S.R., Apfelbaum, E.P., Pura, N., & Ariely, D. ( 2006). Color blindness and interracial interaction: Playing the political correctness game. Psychological Science, 17, 949-953.
20.
Plant, A., & Devine, P. ( 1998). Internal and external motivation to respond without prejudice . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 75, 811-832.
21.
Shelton, J. ( 2003). Interpersonal concerns in social encounters between majority and minority group members. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 6, 171-185.
22.
Sidanius, J., & Pratto, F. ( 1999). Social dominance: An intergroup theory of hierarchy and oppression. New York: Cambridge University Press.
23.
Steele, C., & Aronson, J. ( 1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 69, 797-811.
24.
Steele, C., Spencer, S., & Aronson, J. ( 2002). Contending with group image: The psychology of stereotype and social identity threat. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 34, 379-440.
25.
Wittenbrink, B., Judd, C.M., & Park, B. ( 1997). Evidence for racial prejudice at the implicit level and its relationship with questionnaire measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 262-274.
