Racial stereotyping on television: A comparison of the behavior of both Black and White television characters.

Abstract

Television is a source of information that influences the formation of attitudes toward minority groups through its characterizations of them. This study investigated the behavior of both black and white characters on comedy programs to determine whether there were differences in their portrayal. We hypothesized that black characters would differ from white ones along several dimensions, for example, activity level and dominance, and that white characters on black programs would behave differently from whites on white or mixed programs. Three episodes each of black, white, and mixed comedy programs were videotaped. Raters tallied the behavior of 110 different characters on 12 types of behavior. A two-way analysis of variance, Sex X Race, indicated that racial stereotypes and sex role stereotypes were the basis for character portrayals on television. The differences between black female and white female characters seemed crucial to the depiction of the races. In addition, the portrayal of white characters on black programs was negative. The attitudes people have toward others are influenced to some degree by their percep