Perspective‐Taking Can Lead to Increased Bias: A Call for ‘Less Certain’ Positions in American Indian Contexts

Abstract

AbstractThis paper presents findings from research conducted by two U.S. scholars from divergent disciplinary fields (Indigenous studies, cognitive science) and backgrounds (Chiricahua Apache, first‐generation U.S. immigrant) under a National Endowment for the Arts grant (2015‐2018). Our goal was to assess perceptions of American Indian peoples reflected in verbal responses (and in the lab settings, eye gaze) to historic photographs with the aim of enhancing visual competencies and deepening cultural interpretation in museum settings. Data was drawn from museum visitors at the Autry Museum of the American West and undergraduate students in a lab setting at Occidental College, both in Los Angeles, CA. Our findings indicate that perspective‐taking methods employed across both field sites do not alter enmeshed and persistent bias for interpreting American Indian lives. Participants who took the perspective of the subject and even adequately visually described the photograph still tended to engage in conventional narratives (i.e. stereotypes) unrooted in comprehension of living Native communities. These findings starkly expose the distance that largely non‐Native institutions must travel to fully reach the equity and inclusion efforts museums aspire to. Generalized diversity efforts in museum education based on empathy or simple description (as found in Visual Thinking Strategies) are not effective means of comprehending difference as viewers are not equipped to adequately draw independent conclusions free of bias. We argue that, especially in museum settings, where emotions are heightened, educators may productively consider methods of encouraging visitors to forestall conclusion‐making and to embrace uncertainty.