Effects of Perspective Taking and Values Consistency in Reducing Implicit Racial Bias
HTML Full Text (Spanish)
PDF (Spanish)
XML (Spanish)

Keywords

racism
values
perspective taking
implicit relational assessment procedure
behavior analysis

How to Cite

Effects of Perspective Taking and Values Consistency in Reducing Implicit Racial Bias. (2023). Universitas Psychologica, 21, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy21.eptv
Almetrics
 
Dimensions
 

Google Scholar
 
Search GoogleScholar

Abstract

The current study explored the effect of perspective taking and values consistency tasks on reducing implicit racial bias. Using a repeated measures design with a control group, 39 participants, 20 female and 19 males aged from 18-54 years, who identified as White were administered the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure. All participants in the experimental group (n = 19) and control group (n = 20) completed the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire, Modified Modern Racism Scale, Valuing Questionnaire, and a Likert scale. Experimental group participants completed brief values consistency and perspective taking tasks, whereas the control group completed a guided task. A 2 x 4 mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to determine if there was interaction effect between group and trial types and a MANOVA to identify differences in the explicit measures between both groups. Results showed that after the values work and perspective taking exercises, participants in the experimental group recorded shorter mean responses for Inconsistent-Black trial blocks versus Consistent-Black trial blocks compared to the control group. Additionally, a statistically significant impact for interaction between condition and trial type was found for the Consistent-White trial type in the experimental group. Recommendations for future research are presented.

HTML Full Text (Spanish)
PDF (Spanish)
XML (Spanish)

Albright, L. K., Blair, B. J., & Ferman, D. M. (2021). Stimulus equivalence: A derived relational account of cultural biases. In J. Sadavoy & M. Zube (Eds). A scientific framework for compassion and social justice: Lessons in applied behavior analysis (291-296). Taylor & Francis/Routledge.

Arauz, J., Danitz, S. B., Orsillo, S. M., & Coyne, L. W. (2017). A preliminary exploration of education values, distress, and acceptance among self-identified white and non-white incoming college freshmen at a private university. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 6, 288-292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2017.05.001

Banks, K. H., Goswami, S., Goodwin, D., Petty, J., Bell, V., & Musa, I. (2021). Interrupting internalized racial oppression: A community based ACT intervention. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 20, 89-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2021.02.006

Barnes-Holmes, D., Harte, C., & McEnteggart, C. (2020). Implicit cognition and social behavior. In R. A. Rehfeldt, J. Tarbox, & M. Fryling (Eds.), Applied Behavior Analysis of Language and Cognition (pp. 264-280). New Harbinger.

Barnes-Holmes, D., Murphy, A., Barnes-Holmes, Y., & Stewart, I. (2010). The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure: Exploring the impact of private versus public contexts and the response latency criterion on pro-white and anti-black stereotyping among white Irish individuals. The Psychological Record, 60, 57-79. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395694

Cohen, G. L., Garcia, J., Apfel, N., & Master, A. (2006). Reducing the racial achievement gap: A social-psychological intervention. Science, 313, 1307-1310. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1128317

Davis, C. H., Krafft, J., Hicks, E. T., & Levin, M. E. (2021). The role of psychological inflexibility and perspective taking in anti-racism and anti-sexism. Personality and Individual Differences, 175, 110724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110724

de Carvalho, M. P. de., & de Rose, J. C. (2014). Understanding racial attitudes through the stimulus equivalence paradigm. The Psychological Record, 64, 527-536. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-014-0049-4

Dixon, M. R., & Lemke, M. (2007). Reducing prejudice towards Middle Eastern persons as terrorists. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 8, 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2007.11434269

Dixon, M. R., Branon, A., Nastally, B. L., & Mui, N. (2009). Examining prejudice towards Middle Eastern persons via a transformation of stimulus functions. The Behavior Analyst Today, 10, 295–318. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0100672

Dixon, M.R., Hayes, S.C. (2022). On the disruptive effects of behavior analysis on behavior analysis: The high cost of keeping out acceptance and commitment therapy and training. Behavior Analysis in Practice. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-022-00742-4

Drake, C. E., Kramer, S., Sain, T., Swiatek, R., Kohn, K., & Murphy, M. (2015). Exploring the reliability and convergent validity of implicit racial evaluations. Behavior and Social Issues, 24, 68-87. https://doi.org/10.5210/bsi.v24i0.5496

Dunne, C., McEnteggart, C., Harte, C., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Barnes-Holmes, Y. (2018). Faking a race IRAP effect in the context of single versus multiple label stimuli. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 18, 289-300. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=6579022

Ferroni-Bast, D., Fitzpatrick, J., Stewart, I., & Goyos, C. (2019). Using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) as a measure of reaction to perceived failure and the effects of a defusion intervention in this context. The Psychological Record, 69, 551-563. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-019-00349-2

FitzGerald, C., Martin, A., Berner, D., & Hurst, S. (2019). Interventions designed to reduce implicit prejudices and implicit stereotypes in real world contexts: A systematic review. BMC psychology, 7, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-019-0299-7

Forscher, P. S., Lai, C. K., Axt, J. R., Ebersole, C. R., Herman, M., Devine, P. G., & Nosek, B. A. (2019). A meta-analysis of procedures to change implicit measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 117, 522-559. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000160

Fryling, M., Rehfeldt, R. A., Tarbox, J., & Hayes, L. J. (Eds.). (2020). Applied behavior analysis of language and cognition: Core concepts and principles for practitioners. New Harbinger Publications.

Garcia, Y., Andrews, M., & Brothers, L. (2021). A relational frame approach to understanding perspective-taking in compassion and social justice. In J. Sadavoy & M. Zube (Eds). A scientific framework for compassion and social justice: Lessons in applied behavior analysis (217-224). Taylor & Francis/Routledge.

Graham, J. R., West, L., & Roemer, L. (2015). A preliminary exploration of the moderating role of valued living in the relationships between racist experiences and anxious and depressive symptoms. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 4, 48-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2014.11.001

Hayes, S. C., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Roche, B. (2001). Relational Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian account of human language and cognition. Plenum Press.

Hayes, S.C., Strosahl, K. & Wilson, K. (2011). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change. Guilford Press.

Hussey, I., Thompson, M., McEnteggart, C., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Barnes-Holmes, Y. (2015). Interpreting and inverting with less cursing: A guide to interpreting IRAP data. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 4, 157-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2015.05.001

Kanter, J. W., Williams, M. T., Kuczynski, A. M., Corey, M. D., Parigoris, R. M., Carey, C. M., ... & Rosen, D. C. (2020). The measurement and structure of microaggressive communications by white people against black people. Race and Social Problems, 12, 323-343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-020-09298-w

Kishita, N., Muto, T., Ohtsuki, T., & Barnes-Holmes, D. (2014). Measuring the effect of cognitive defusion using the implicit relational assessment procedure: An experimental analysis with a highly socially anxious sample. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3, 8-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2013.12.001

LeJeune, J., & Luoma, J. B. (2019). Values in therapy: A clinician's guide to helping clients explore values, increase psychological flexibility, and live a more meaningful life. New Harbinger Publications.

Levin, M. E., Haeger, J. A., Pierce, B. G., & Twohig, M. P. (2017). Web-based acceptance and commitment therapy for mental health problems in college students: A randomized controlled trial. Behavior Modification, 41, 141–162. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445516659645.

Lillis, J., & Hayes, S. C. (2007). Applying acceptance, mindfulness, and values to the reduction of prejudice: A pilot study. Behavior Modification, 31, 389-411. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445506298413

Matsuda, K., Garcia, Y., Catagnus, R., & Brandt, J. A. (2020). Can behavior analysis help us understand and reduce racism? A review of the current literature. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13, 336-347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00411-4

Mcconahay, J. B. (1986). Modern racism, ambivalence, and the Modern Racism Scale. In J. F. Dovidio & S. L. Gaertner (Eds.), Prejudice, discrimination, and racism (pp. 91–125). Academic Press.

Mizael, T. M., & de Almeida, J. H. (2019). Revisão de estudos do implicit relational assessment procedure sobre vieses raciais. Acta Comportamentalia: Revista Latina de Análisis de Comportamiento, 27, 437-461. https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v20i2.46278

Mizael, T. M., & Sampaio, A. A. (2019). Racismo institucional: Aspectos comportamentais e culturais da abordagem policial. Acta Comportamentalia: Revista Latina de Análisis de Comportamiento, 27, 215-231.

Mizael, T. M., de Almeida, J. H., Silveira, C. C., & de Rose, J. C. (2016). Changing racial bias by transfer of functions in equivalence classes. The Psychological Record, 66, 451–462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-016-0185-0

Obasogie, O. (2013). Blinded by sight. Stanford University Press.

Pashak, T. J., Conley, M. A., Whitney, D. J., Oswald, S. R., Heckroth, S. G., & Schumacher, E. M. (2018). Empathy diminishes prejudice: Active perspective-taking, regardless of target and mortality salience, decreases implicit racial bias. Psychology, 9, 1340. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2018.96082

Power, P. M., Harte, C., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Barnes-Holmes, Y. (2017a). Exploring racial bias in a European country with a recent history of immigration of Black Africans. The Psychological Record, 67, 365-375. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-017-0223-6

Power, P. M., Harte, C., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Barnes-Holmes, Y. (2017b). Combining the implicit relational assessment procedure and the recording of event related potentials in the analysis of racial bias: A preliminary study. The Psychological Record, 67, 499-506. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-017-0223-6

Roberts, S. O., & Rizzo, M. T. (2021). The psychology of American racism. American Psychologist, 76(3), 475–487. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000642

Sabnani, H. B., & Ponterotto, J. G. (1992). Racial/ethnic minority-specific instrumentation in counseling research: A review, critique, and recommendations. Measurement & Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 24, 161–187.

Saini, V., & Vance, H. (2020). Systemic racism and cultural selection: A preliminary analysis of metacontingencies. Behavior and Social Issues, 29, 52-63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-020-00040-0

Salter, P. S., Adams, G., & Perez, M. J. (2018). Racism in the structure of everyday worlds: A cultural-psychological perspective. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27, 150-155. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417724239

Smout, M., Davies, M., Burns, N., & Christie, A. (2014). Development of the valuing questionnaire (VQ). Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3, 164-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2014.06.001

Spreng, R. N., McKinnon, M. C., Mar, R. A., & Levine, B. (2009). The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire: Scale development and initial validation of a factor-analytic solution to multiple empathy measures. Journal of Personality Assessment, 91, 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2014.06.001

Stoddard, J. A., & Afari, N. (2014). The big book of act metaphors: A practitioner's guide to experiential exercises and metaphors in acceptance and commitment therapy. New Harbinger Publications.

Tarbox, J., Szabo, T. G., & Aclan, M. (2022). Acceptance and commitment training within the scope of practice of applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 15, 11-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223890802484381

Todd, A. R., Bodenhausen, G. V., & Galinsky, A. D. (2012). Perspective taking combats the denial of intergroup discrimination. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 738-745. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00466-3

Todd, A., R., Bodenhausen, G. V., Richeson, J. A., & Galinsky, A. D. (2011). Perspective taking combats automatic expressions of racial bias. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100, 1027–1042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.12.011

Vahey, N. A., Nicholson, E., & Barnes-Holmes, D. (2015). A meta-analysis of criterion effects for the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) in the clinical domain. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 48, 59-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.01.004

Wang, C. S., Kenneth, T., Ku, G., & Galinsky, A. D. (2014). Perspective-taking increases willingness to engage in intergroup contact. PloS one, 9, e85681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.01.004

Watt, A., Keenan, M., Barnes, D., & Cairns, E. (1991). Social categorization and stimulus equivalence. The Psychological Record, 41, 33–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395092

Williams, M. T., Kanter, J. W., Peña, A., Ching, T. H., & Oshin, L. (2020). Reducing microaggressions and promoting interracial connection: The racial harmony workshop. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 16, 153-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.04.008

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2023 Carmen Beck, Yors García, Robyn Catagnus