Reducing Implicit Racial Preferences: I. A Comparative Investigation of 17 Interventions

68 Pages Posted: 2 Oct 2012 Last revised: 11 Sep 2016

See all articles by Calvin Lai

Calvin Lai

Washington University in St. Louis

Maddalena Marini

Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE)

Steven Lehr

Harvard University

Carlo Cerruti

Harvard University

Jiyun Elizabeth Shin

State University of New York (SUNY) - Department of Psychology

Jennifer Joy-Gaba

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

Arnold Ho

Colgate University; University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Bethany Teachman

University of Virginia - Department of Psychology

Sean P. Wojcik

University of California, Irvine

Sena Koleva

New York University; University of California, Irvine - School of Social Ecology; California State University Los Angeles

Rebecca S. Frazier

University of Virginia

Larisa Heiphetz

Harvard University

Eva Chen

Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST)

Rhiannon Turner

Queen's University Belfast

Jonathan Haidt

New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business

Selin Kesebir

London Business School

Carlee Beth Hawkins

University of Virginia

Hillary Schaefer

University of Virginia

Sandro Rubichi

Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE)

Giuseppe Sartori

Università di Padova - Department of General Psychology

Christopher M. Dial

Harvard University

N. Sriram

University of Virginia

Mahzarin R. Banaji

Harvard University - Department of Psychology; Harvard University - Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics

Brian A. Nosek

University of Virginia

Date Written: September 9, 2016

Abstract

Many methods for reducing implicit prejudice have been identified, but little is known about their relative effectiveness. We held a research contest to experimentally compare interventions for reducing the expression of implicit racial prejudice. Teams submitted seventeen interventions that were tested an average of 3.70 times each in four studies (total N = 17,021), with rules for revising interventions between studies. Eight of seventeen interventions were effective at reducing implicit preferences for Whites compared to Blacks, particularly ones that provided experience with counterstereotypical exemplars, used evaluative conditioning methods, and provided strategies to override biases. The other nine interventions were ineffective, particularly ones that engaged participants with others’ perspectives, asked participants to consider egalitarian values, or induced a positive emotion. The most potent interventions were ones that invoked high self-involvement or linked Black people with positivity and White people with negativity. No intervention consistently reduced explicit racial preferences. Furthermore, intervention effectiveness only weakly extended to implicit preferences for Asians and Hispanics.

Keywords: attitudes, racial prejudice, implicit social cognition, malleability, Implicit Association Test, psychology, prejudice

Suggested Citation

Lai, Calvin and Marini, Maddalena and Lehr, Steven and Cerruti, Carlo and Shin, Jiyun Elizabeth and Joy-Gaba, Jennifer and Ho, Arnold and Teachman, Bethany and Wojcik, Sean P. and Koleva, Spassena and Koleva, Spassena and Frazier, Rebecca S. and Heiphetz, Larisa and Chen, Eva and Turner, Rhiannon and Haidt, Jonathan and Kesebir, Selin and Hawkins, Carlee Beth and Schaefer, Hillary and Rubichi, Sandro and Sartori, Giuseppe and Dial, Christopher M. and Sriram, N. and Banaji, Mahzarin R. and Nosek, Brian A., Reducing Implicit Racial Preferences: I. A Comparative Investigation of 17 Interventions (September 9, 2016). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2155175 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2155175

Calvin Lai (Contact Author)

Washington University in St. Louis ( email )

1 Brookings Dr
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St. Louis, MO 63130
United States

Maddalena Marini

Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) ( email )

viale Allegri, 9
Modena, Reggio Emilia 42121
Italy

Steven Lehr

Harvard University ( email )

1875 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Carlo Cerruti

Harvard University ( email )

1875 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Jiyun Elizabeth Shin

State University of New York (SUNY) - Department of Psychology ( email )

Stony Brook, NY 11733-2500
United States

Jennifer Joy-Gaba

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) ( email )

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Arnold Ho

Colgate University ( email )

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University of Michigan at Ann Arbor ( email )

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Bethany Teachman

University of Virginia - Department of Psychology ( email )

United States

Sean P. Wojcik

University of California, Irvine ( email )

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Irvine, CA California 62697-3125
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Spassena Koleva

New York University

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New York, NY 10003-711
United States

University of California, Irvine - School of Social Ecology ( email )

4312 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway
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United States

California State University Los Angeles ( email )

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Rebecca S. Frazier

University of Virginia ( email )

1400 University Ave
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States

Larisa Heiphetz

Harvard University ( email )

1875 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Eva Chen

Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST) ( email )

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Rhiannon Turner

Queen's University Belfast ( email )

25 University Square
Belfast, BT7 1NN
Ireland

Jonathan Haidt

New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business ( email )

NYU-Stern School of Business
44 West 4th Street
New York, NY NY 10012
United States

Selin Kesebir

London Business School ( email )

Regent's Park
NW1 4SA
London
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://people.virginia.edu/~sk8dm

Carlee Beth Hawkins

University of Virginia ( email )

1400 University Ave
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States

Hillary Schaefer

University of Virginia ( email )

1400 University Ave
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States

Sandro Rubichi

Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) ( email )

Viale A. Allegri 9
Modena, Modena 42121
Italy

Giuseppe Sartori

Università di Padova - Department of General Psychology ( email )

Christopher M. Dial

Harvard University ( email )

Department of Psychology
33 Kirkland St 15th FL
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
(617) 384-9654 (Phone)
(617) 384-9517 (Fax)

N. Sriram

University of Virginia ( email )

1400 University Ave
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States

Mahzarin R. Banaji

Harvard University - Department of Psychology ( email )

33 Kirkland St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Harvard University - Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics ( email )

124 Mount Auburn Street
Suite 520N
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Brian A. Nosek

University of Virginia ( email )

1400 University Ave
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States

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