Racial Prejudice Racial Prejudice and the Elderlyand the Elderly

SummarySummary

White elderly populations hold more White elderly populations hold more racial prejudices than younger racial prejudices than younger generationsgenerations More likely to rely on stereotypesMore likely to rely on stereotypes ““Old people are products of less Old people are products of less

enlightened times…and they are unlikely to enlightened times…and they are unlikely to change.”change.”

Physiological influencesPhysiological influences Less inhibition of voicing prejudices due to Less inhibition of voicing prejudices due to

atrophy of the frontal lobeatrophy of the frontal lobe

SummarySummary

Disapprove of interracial dating:Disapprove of interracial dating: 35% Americans 60 years or older35% Americans 60 years or older 16% Baby boomers16% Baby boomers 6% Americans 30 years or younger6% Americans 30 years or younger

Implicit biasesImplicit biases Whites aged 60 or older have 5-10% Whites aged 60 or older have 5-10%

more biases than younger participantsmore biases than younger participants

The “Bradley Effect”The “Bradley Effect”

Implicit prejudice affects behaviorImplicit prejudice affects behavior Obama finished far worse than polls Obama finished far worse than polls

predicted in four states with relatively predicted in four states with relatively low black populations.low black populations.

Disconnect between what they say and Disconnect between what they say and what they dowhat they do

How will this affect the election?How will this affect the election? Impossible to know which anti-Obama Impossible to know which anti-Obama

feelings are related to prejudicefeelings are related to prejudice

““Stereotyping Against Stereotyping Against Your Will”Your Will”

Participants read a story about a student Participants read a story about a student athlete named Jamal or a honors student athlete named Jamal or a honors student named Johnnamed John Formed impression about the social identity of Formed impression about the social identity of

John/JamalJohn/Jamal Told to ignore the individual’s background Told to ignore the individual’s background

information or perceived social identityinformation or perceived social identity Series of questionnaires, included questions Series of questionnaires, included questions

about his intelligenceabout his intelligence Read paragraph containing distracting textRead paragraph containing distracting text

Tested ability to inhibit the awareness of this textTested ability to inhibit the awareness of this text

Results and ConclusionsResults and Conclusions Older participants: Older participants:

Read paragraphs with distracters more slowlyRead paragraphs with distracters more slowly Perceived Jamal’s intelligence to be significantly Perceived Jamal’s intelligence to be significantly

lower than John’slower than John’s Conclusions: reduced ability to inhibit results Conclusions: reduced ability to inhibit results

in greater use of negative stereotypes and in greater use of negative stereotypes and prejudicesprejudices Elderly participants rely on stereotypes more oftenElderly participants rely on stereotypes more often

Older participants had greater motivation to Older participants had greater motivation to control expression of prejudiced thoughtscontrol expression of prejudiced thoughts Try to inhibit the learned stereotypes from an Try to inhibit the learned stereotypes from an

earlier era, yet unableearlier era, yet unable

Post-electionPost-election

Elderly white population’s Elderly white population’s prejudices did not affect Obama’s prejudices did not affect Obama’s winwin

What about the opposite effect: What about the opposite effect: black populations who voted for black populations who voted for Obama Obama becausebecause of his race? of his race?