The Influence of Explicitly and Implicitly Measured Prejudice on Interpretations of and Reactions to Black Film

Abstract

The present research focused on how explicitly and implicitly measured attitudes toward Blacks influenced interpretations of film and how film, in turn, influenced explicitly and implicitly measured attitudes toward Blacks. In Study 1, explicit and implicit attitudes toward Blacks were measured online, and participants later watched the film Remember the Titans and made judgments about the film. Explicitly measured attitudes influenced participants' global reactions to the film and interpretations of events within the film. In Study 2, participants completed explicit and implicit measures in the lab and, one week later, watched either the film Rosewood or a control film, made judgments about the film, and completed explicit and implicit measures for a second time. Implicitly measured attitudes influenced interpretation of some specific judgments about the film. Additionally, participants who viewed Rosewood showed less implicitly measured prejudice, more pro-Black attitudes, and less explicitly measured prejudice after viewing the film. Results are discussed in terms of the MODE model—a dual process model of judgment and behavior.