Subtle Discrimination Research Articles

The Cognitive Effects of Experiencing and Observing Subtle Racial Discrimination

AbstractMost research on the cognitive effects of subtle racial discrimination among racial and ethnic minorities focuses on direct experiences of it wherein stigmatized individuals are the targets of discriminatory treatment. However, it is not necessary for people to be the direct target of discriminatory behavior to experience the negative consequences associated with it. Although exposure to discriminatory behavior is increasingly common given the accessibility of smartphones and social media, we know relatively little about how this exposure affects people's executive functioning. Here, we provide a systematic, comparative review of the extant literature on the effects of (a) personally experiencing versus (b) observing instances of subtle racial discrimination toward others on three core executive functions: inhibition, shifting, and updating. We highlight where more work is needed to understand the cognitive consequences of observing discrimination and we provide initial evidence that observing subtle discrimination impairs updating—a previously unexplored relationship. Finally, we discuss the implications of executive function impairment due to observing and experiencing subtle discrimination for long‐term outcomes, such as academic achievement, employment, and mental health.

Subtle and Overt Behaviors Toward Ethnic Minority Leaders and the Moderating Role of Competence

This study extends research on stereotypes and leadership to consider the subtle and overt behavioral responses to leaders from multiple ethnic backgrounds. Specifically, the study focuses on overt and subtle discrimination toward African American, Asian American, Middle Eastern American, and White male leaders. Results from an experiment measuring authentic reactions to leaders reveal that Asian American leaders were treated more negatively in comparison to White and Middle Eastern American leaders. Furthermore, individuating information about the leader’s competence marginally improved performance expectations of Middle Eastern American leaders compared with White and Asian leaders. However, African American leaders were treated less positively when information about competence was provided compared with when it was not. The findings suggest that the unique stereotypes of each ethnic group can affect the utility of providing individuating information about competence.

Equal Outcomes, but Different Treatment – Subtle Discrimination in Email Responses From a Correspondence Test in Switzerland

Abstract Correspondence tests on discrimination usually report only whether an applicant was invited for a job interview or not. Yet, data from a field experiment in Switzerland demonstrate that candidates with the same outcome are not necessarily treated equally. The paper complements correspondence test results with information on the time elapsed until candidates were contacted, as well as qualitative differences in invitation or rejection emails.

Dental microwear texture reflects dietary tendencies in extant Lepidosauria despite their limited use of oral food processing.

Lepidosauria show a large diversity in dietary adaptations, both among extant and extinct tetrapods. Unlike mammals, Lepidosauria do not engage in sophisticated mastication of their food and most species have continuous tooth replacement, further reducing the wear of individual teeth. However, dietary tendency estimation of extinct lepidosaurs usually rely on tooth shape and body size, which allows only for broad distinction between faunivores and herbivores. Microscopic wear features on teeth have long been successfully applied to reconstruct the diet of mammals and allow for subtle discrimination of feeding strategies and food abrasiveness. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the first detailed analysis of dental microwear texture on extant lepidosaurs using a combination of 46 surface texture parameters to establish a framework for dietary tendency estimation of fossil reptilian taxa. We measured dental surface textures of 77 specimens, belonging to herbivorous, algaevorous, frugivorous, carnivorous, ovivorous, insectivorous, molluscivorous, as well as omnivorous species. Carnivores show low density and shallow depth of furrows, whereas frugivores are characterized by the highest density of furrows. Molluscivores show the deepest wear features and highest roughness, herbivores have lower surface roughness and shallower furrows compared to insectivores and omnivores, which overlap in all parameters. Our study shows that despite short food-tooth interaction, dental surface texture parameters enable discrimination of several feeding strategies in lepidosaurs. This result opens new research avenues to assess diet in a broad variety of extant and extinct non-mammalian taxa including dinosaurs and early synapsids.

Simple protocol for sequence-specific detection of mixed-base nucleic acids using a smart probe with NABs

A fluorescent smart probe (SP) was used to detect a mixed-base ribonucleic acids sequence. While the SP presents excellent sensitivity for the target, it gives subtle discrimination between the perfect target sequence and several mismatch sequences. Its sequence-specificity for the target was greatly enhanced by using nucleic acid blockers (NABs), which are unlabeled, non-fluorescent hairpin oligonucleotides that are perfectly complementary to those mismatch sequences. This approach is simple, feasible at room temperature, requires no amplification enzymes, and it is suitable for applications requiring routine nucleic acids sequence detection and quantification methods such as genetic testing and biomedical diagnostics.

Discriminatory language in the workplace: unmasking prejudices and stereotypes / El lenguaje discriminatorio en contextos laborales: desenmascarando prejuicios y estereotipos

The link between language, communication and open discrimination has been the focus of numerous studies. For many years, language has been a vehicle of prejudice and negative stereotypes. However, in the last few years, overt verbal aggressions have diminished thanks to the implementation of equality policies and awareness-raising initiatives. Despite that, negative attitudes against protected groups might not have disappeared and may instead be transmitted subtly, such as through uncivil language. The goal of this research is to study the relation between language and subtle discrimination against lesbian and gay (LG) workers. With this goal in mind, 39 in-depth interviews were conducted. The analysis showed that LG people are victims of subtle discrimination and that language is one of the most common vehicles of prejudice and negative stereotypes. Jokes, inappropriate comments and questions are the expression of negative attitudes, which are probably present at an implicit level. Due to the ambiguity of these expressions and the settings where they have been studied — the workplace — these acts could be defined as uncivil behaviours. Practical implications, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

They matter: Sexual orientation microaggressions in high school

Sexual orientation-based discrimination in schools has evolved from primarily blatant, overt forms to include more subtle and ambiguous forms, or microaggressions. To date, the unique experiences of microaggressions among adolescents in the context of the high school environment are underrepresented among the literature. In this qualitative study, 14 high school adolescents, ages 15 to 19, from seven separate schools, who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer, were interviewed. The data showed that high school youth experienced incidents of subtle discrimination that were both consistent with current microaggression literature based on adult samples and specific to the high school environment. The results may be beneficial to school counselors, faculty, and administration, who are striving to facilitate inclusive school environments, by providing insight into the nature and prevalence of sexual orientation microaggressions in high schools.

Examining Skin Color and Discrimination Among Ethnic Minority Adolescents

Discrimination based on skin color is illegal, yet preferential treatment based on skin color persists and there is less clarity on how one’s nativity and parents play a role between skin color and discrimination. This study examined the associations among skin color and subtle discrimination (i.e., microaggressions) among Latina/o (63.5%) and Asian American (36.5%) adolescents (N = 244; Mage = 17.12, SD = .73; 55% female). This study also examined whether nativity status, parent ethnic racial socialization, and parental acculturation (via parent language proficiency) moderated the association between skin color and microaggressions. Adolescents with darker skin color reported more microaggressions. In addition, the association between skin color and microaggressions was found among foreign-born adolescents, but not US-born adolescents. Neither parental acculturation or parent ethnic racial socialization moderated the association between skin color and microaggressions. These results suggest that, like race and ethnicity, skin color may be a marker for adolescents receiving subtle discrimination, particularly among foreign-born youth.

Open Citations – Die Transparenzforderungen der San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)

ZusammenfassungEine wachsende Anzahl von wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaften, Zeitschriften, Institutionen und wissenschaftlich Tätigen protestieren und bekämpfen den „allmächtigen“ Journal Impact Faktor. Die bekannteste Initiative von Protest und Empfehlungen heißt DORA, The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment. Kritisiert wird die fehlerhafte, verzerrte und intransparente Art der quantitativen Evaluationsverfahren und ihre negativen Auswirkungen auf das wissenschaftliche Personal, insbesondere auf junge Nachwuchskräfte und ihre wissenschaftliche Entwicklung, insbesondere die subtile Diskriminierung von Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften. Wir sollten nicht unkritisch im Metrik-Paradigma gefangen bleiben und der Flut neuer Indikatoren aus der Szientometrie zujubeln. Der Slogan „Putting Science into the Assessment of Research“ darf nicht szientistisch verkürzt verstanden werden. Soziale Phänomene können nicht bloß mit naturwissenschaftlichen Methoden untersucht werden. Kritik und Transformation der sozialen Aktivitäten, die sich „Evaluation“ nennen, erfordern sozialwissenschaftliche und wissenschaftsphilosophische Perspektiven. Evaluation ist kein wertneutrales Unternehmen, sondern ist eng mit Macht, Herrschaft, Ressourcenverteilung verbunden.

Diversity Intelligence as a Source of Strength in Human Resource Development: Increasing the Presence of Women Pilots

The Problem Although more women have been entering the workforce in the past few decades, this progress has not readily been seen in the field of aviation. Indeed, of all current U.S. corporate and commercial pilots, women only account for 6%. Through a diversity intelligence (DQ) perspective, the authors explore the experiences of women pilots to identify ways of increasing female representation in male-dominated fields in general and in aviation in particular. Via a phenomenological qualitative research approach, a total of 33 female pilots were surveyed and an additional 20 participated in a one-on-one interview. NVivo qualitative data analysis software was used, employing an inductive constant comparative method to develop categories. The Solution Results indicate that female pilots face significant gender-related roadblocks to their careers. Human Resource Development (HRD) practitioners can help organizations increase DQ to recruit and retain women in nontraditional occupations and industries. Increasing DQ would create a more welcoming environment for both women and minorities. It would also address cultural and organizational issues such as tacit and subtle discrimination, increase the presence of role models, provide support systems, and assist with cultural change to eliminate the good old boy mentality. The Stakeholders Industry leaders, women, and HRD professionals.

The association between discrimination and health: findings on Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin populations in Finland.

The Second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey recently demonstrated widespread discrimination across EU countries, with high discrimination rates observed in countries like Finland. Discrimination is known to negatively impact health, but fewer studies have examined how different types of perceived discrimination are related to health. This study examines (i) the prevalence of different types of perceived discrimination among Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin populations in Finland, and (ii) the association between different types of perceived discrimination (no experiences; subtle discrimination only; overt or subtle and overt discrimination) and health (self-rated health; limiting long-term illness (LLTI) or disability; mental health symptoms). Data are from the Finnish Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study (n = 1795). Subtle discrimination implies reporting being treated with less courtesy and/or treated with less respect than others, and overt discrimination being called names or insulted and/or threatened or harassed. The prevalence of discrimination and the associations between discrimination and health were calculated with predicted margins and logistic regression. Experiences of subtle discrimination were more common than overt discrimination in all the studied groups. Subtle discrimination was reported by 29% of Somali origin persons and 35% Russian and Kurdish origin persons. The prevalence of overt discrimination ranged between 22% and 24%. Experiences of discrimination increased the odds for poor self-reported health, LLTI and mental health symptoms, particularly among those reporting subtle discrimination only. To promote the health of diverse populations, actions against racism and discrimination are highly needed, including initiatives that promote shared belonging.

Choosing a Specialty: Intersections of Gender and Race among Asian and White Women Medical Students in Ontario

Forty years ago, Bourne and Wikler (1978) wrote about the challenges women faced in medical school, arguing that women's specialty choices were structurally conditioned by the subtle discrimination they faced, as well as the masculine nature of medical practice. Since then the demographic make-up of the medical profession has changed: today, many entrants are not only women, but also members of racial/ethnic minorities. Have these changes affected women's medical specialty decisions? Adopting an intersectional theoretical lens, this paper explores the experiences and career specialty choices of White and Asian women medical students. We find that discrimination and concerns over work-family conflict continue to shape the specialty choices of women in medicine, but that White and Asian women's experiences differ in meaningful ways. Asian women experience racialized gender discrimination and distinct family pressures, compared to their White counterparts, complicating their specialty choices, and reproducing inequality within the profession.

Aldehyde-functionalized chitosan-montmorillonite films as dynamically-assembled, switchable-chemical release bioplastics

Temporal release of synergistic and/or complementary chemicals (e.g.: drugs) is recognized as extremely challenging because of their frequently intertwined kinetic delivery and presently, straightforward concepts enabling to circumvent this bottleneck are missing in the open literature. In this framework, we report herein on aldehyde-functionalized, transparent and flexible chitosan-montmorillonite hybrid films that act as a new generation of eco-friendly, controlled-chemical release bioplastics. These dynamically-assembled nanomaterials are designed by a ternary assembly from biowaste derived chitin biopolymer, aromatic aldehydes and layered clay nanoparticles. On the basis of their geometrical and conformational properties, the oxygenated groups on the grafted aromatics interact preferentially with either the base Schiff belonging to the carbohydrate (via intramolecular CNHO-Ar known as “imine clip”) or with the hydroxyl groups belonging to the clay surface (via intermolecular Si-OHO-Ar). The exfoliated clay nanoparticles within the carbohydrate polymer enables either accelerating or slowing down of the imine (CN) hydrolysis depending on the interaction of the conjugated aromatics. This provides the driving force for fine tuning host-guest interactions at the molecular level and constitutes an entry toward subtle discrimination of different chemicals (e.g. complementary fertilizers, synergistic drugs) during their sequential release.

Subtle and blatant perceived discrimination and well-being in lesbians and gay men in Spain: The role of social support.

The situation of lesbians and gay men (LGs) in Spain has improved significantly in recent decades. However, Spanish society still exhibits prejudice and discrimination. The current study pursues three main goals: 1) to analyse the extent to which LGs perceive blatant and subtle discrimination, 2) to explore the relationship between perceived discrimination and LGs’ psychological and subjective well-being, and 3) to analyse the possible mediational role of social support in reducing the negative influence of perceived discrimination on well-being. The sample comprised 237 lesbians and 232 gay men. The results show higher perceived subtle than blatant discrimination, and that subtle discrimination affects LGs’ well-being more negatively than blatant discrimination. Results show that social support helps to alleviate the negative effects of discrimination on well-being. These results are important and may contribute to the design of interventions to improve the well-being of lesbians and gay men.

The impact of stigma on subjective well-being in people with mental disorders.

People diagnosed with a mental disorder are highly discriminated against, and when they internalize the social stigma they suffer severe consequences which have been associated with greater symptomatology and reduced recovery. This research was carried out in order to develop a predictive model about how discrimination contributes to subjective well-being (positive and negative affects experienced) by means of internalization of stigma (alienation, stereotype endorsement and social withdrawal) and deterioration of positive self-concept (self-esteem and self-efficacy). We conducted a cross-sectional research design. We used Partial Least Squares (PLS) modelling to analyze the data from 94 Spanish participants diagnosed with a mental disorder. A differential effect of blatant and subtle discrimination is found. Both internalized stigma and positive self-concept play a central role in the effects of discrimination on subjective well-being. Internalized stigma contributes to the explained variance of negative and positive affect, while positive self-concept contributes mainly to explain changes in positive affect. Positive self-concept protects the person from the harm that stigma may cause on his well-being. It especially protects positive affect, which we propose is an important resource in the recovery process. These findings have clinical and research implications.

Diversity Interface Challenges–Intersectionality, Faultlines, and Subtle Discrimination

Whereas there are decades of diversity scholarship that focus on topics such as gender and black-white comparisons (Ruggs et al., 2013), our symposium highlights contemporary aspects of diversity t...

Spectral-temporal EEG dynamics of speech discrimination processing in infants during sleep

BackgroundOddball paradigms are frequently used to study auditory discrimination by comparing event-related potential (ERP) responses from a standard, high probability sound and to a deviant, low probability sound. Previous research has established that such paradigms, such as the mismatch response or mismatch negativity, are useful for examining auditory processes in young children and infants across various sleep and attention states. The extent to which oddball ERP responses may reflect subtle discrimination effects, such as speech discrimination, is largely unknown, especially in infants that have not yet acquired speech and language.ResultsMismatch responses for three contrasts (non-speech, vowel, and consonant) were computed as a spectral-temporal probability function in 24 infants, and analyzed at the group level by a modified multidimensional scaling. Immediately following an onset gamma response (30–50 Hz), the emergence of a beta oscillation (12–30 Hz) was temporally coupled with a lower frequency theta oscillation (2–8 Hz). The spectral-temporal probability of this coupling effect relative to a subsequent theta modulation corresponds with discrimination difficulty for non-speech, vowel, and consonant contrast features.DiscussionThe theta modulation effect suggests that unexpected sounds are encoded as a probabilistic measure of surprise. These results support the notion that auditory discrimination is driven by the development of brain networks for predictive processing, and can be measured in infants during sleep. The results presented here have implications for the interpretation of discrimination as a probabilistic process, and may provide a basis for the development of single-subject and single-trial classification in a clinically useful context.ConclusionAn infant’s brain is processing information about the environment and performing computations, even during sleep. These computations reflect subtle differences in acoustic feature processing that are necessary for language-learning. Results from this study suggest that brain responses to deviant sounds in an oddball paradigm follow a cascade of oscillatory modulations. This cascade begins with a gamma response that later emerges as a beta synchronization, which is temporally coupled with a theta modulation, and followed by a second, subsequent theta modulation. The difference in frequency and timing of the theta modulations appears to reflect a measure of surprise. These insights into the neurophysiological mechanisms of auditory discrimination provide a basis for exploring the clinically utility of the MMRTF and other auditory oddball responses.

Western Anti‐Muslim Prejudice: Value Conflict or Discrimination of Persons Too?

Do Western anti‐Muslim attitudes reflect Islamophobia as a general, ethnoreligious prejudice that does not distinguish between persons and ideas, values, or behavior, or are they limited to issues perceived to be in conflict with Western liberal values? In two experiments, we measured discrimination as decreased willingness to help a Muslim versus non‐Muslim to undertake an action that was either neutral or possibly in conflict with Western liberal values. As opposed to general discrimination, the participants displayed conditional, anti‐Muslim discrimination: The two targets were treated equally when the cause was neutral, but there was less willingness to help the Muslim when the cause was conflicting (protesting against the headscarf ban and against gay rights). However, participants did demonstrate subtle discrimination by showing less willingness to help the protesting Muslim compared to the protesting non‐Muslim target. Individual differences moderated these effects with multiculturalism predicting conditional outgroup prosociality, ethnocentrism predicting global outgroup discrimination, and proatheism attitudes predicting both conditional outgroup prosociality and unprejudiced rejection of value‐conflicting behavior.

Weight discrimination in helping behavior

IntroductionAlthough obesity stigma is pervasive, relatively little research has examined the extent to which the discrimination obese individuals experience extends to helping behavior. ObjectivesThe purpose of the current set of experiments was to determine whether strangers help heavy individuals less than non-heavy individuals, and to examine the impact that moderating cues (e.g., justifying or suppressing prejudice, Crandall & Eshleman, 2003) of weight-based discrimination and gender might have on helping behavior. Study 1The first study was an experiment conducted online through MTurk. Participants rated their willingness to support a proposed charity event and their perceptions of the event organizer, whose picture was manipulated to be heavy or non-heavy. We found evidence that people were less willing to help and held more negative perceptions of heavy (than non-heavy) individuals. Study 2The second study was a field experiment in which confederates either wearing or not wearing obesity prosthetics solicited help from others on a college campus. Relative to the non-heavy, heavy individuals again were less likely to be helped and received more impolite interpersonal treatment, as rated by observers. Additionally, women were denigrated more than men for being heavy, but cues that suppressed discrimination helped increase the amount of help received and the politeness of strangers. ConclusionThe overt and subtle discrimination overweight individuals experience extends to situations when they are asking for help, and this is especially the case for heavy women. However, displaying stereotype-inconsistent cues benefit overweight individuals by increasing the likelihood of them being helped and treated well.

Isms and schisms: A meta‐analysis of the prejudice‐discrimination relationship across racism, sexism, and ageism

SummaryRacism, sexism, and ageism persist in modern day organizations and may translate into workplace discrimination, which can undermine organizational effectiveness. We provide the first meta‐analysis comparing the relationships between these three types of prejudice (racism, sexism, and ageism) and three types of workplace discrimination (selection, performance evaluation, and opposition to diversity‐supportive policies). Across outcomes, racism was associated with workplace discrimination, whereas sexism was not. Ageism was associated with discriminatory selection and opposition to organizational policies supporting older workers; however, ageism was not related to discriminatory performance evaluation. Consistent with prior research and theory, Implicit Association Test measures were related to subtle discrimination (opposition to diversity‐supportive policies) but not deliberate discrimination (selection and performance evaluation). Finally, prejudice was more strongly associated with discrimination against real as compared with hypothetical targets. Implications for organizational researchers and practitioners are discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.