White, black, and multiracial perceptions of interracial interactions.

Three studies investigated white, black, and multiracial individuals' perceptions of interracial interactions. In Study 1, participants viewed a brief animated film depicting a group converging on an individual. In Study 2 the film depicted an individual leaving a group. The racial composition of the interactions varied. Results from these two studies suggest that participants believe that whites have a fear and dislike of blacks, that blacks are more individualistic than whites, that multiracials have more fluid racial boundaries for classifying mixed-raced individuals than whites and blacks, and that mixed-race people are better adjusted than whites and blacks think they are. In study 3 respondents viewed a film depicting an individual leaving its partner for a different individual. Results of Study 3 suggest that blacks and multiracials are more capable of dealing with rejection situations than whites, perhaps because whites are not used to attributing negative events to external causes (e.g., racial discrimination). Together, the three studies explored people's culturally shared beliefs concerning racial group membership and race relations.Ph.D.Black studiesEthnic studiesPsychologySocial SciencesSocial psychologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/123084/2/3058071.pd