The Measurement and Structure of Microaggressive Communications by White People Against Black People

Previous research on microaggressions has emphasized the frequency of and distress produced by microaggressions as reported by people of color. The current research supplements the existing literature by developing a self-report measure of White individuals’ microaggressive likelihood against Black...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Kanter, Jonathan W. (Author) ; Williams, Monnica T. (Author) ; Kuczynski, Adam M. (Author) ; Corey, Mariah D. (Author) ; Parigoris, Ryan M. (Author) ; Carey, Cathea M. (Author) ; Manbeck, Katherine E. (Author) ; Wallace, Elliot C. (Author) ; Rosen, Daniel C. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
In: Race and social problems
Year: 2020, Volume: 12, Issue: 4, Pages: 323-343
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Keywords:
Race
Bias
Prejudice
Microaggressions
Discrimination
Racism
Description
Summary:Previous research on microaggressions has emphasized the frequency of and distress produced by microaggressions as reported by people of color. The current research supplements the existing literature by developing a self-report measure of White individuals’ microaggressive likelihood against Black people, the Cultural Cognitions and Actions Scale (CCAS). Study 1 developed the CCAS through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of responses to CCAS items from a sample of 978 non-Hispanic White undergraduate students. The final scale comprised four factors (Negative Attitudes, Colorblindness, Objectifying, and Avoidance) assessing microaggressive likelihood, and CCAS total and factor scores were significantly related to several other indicators of racism and bias. Study 2 involved 31 of the previous participants in a lab-based discussion of race-related issues with a confederate and provided initial support for the predictive validity of the measure. Overall, this report supports a growing literature that microaggressions are more than innocuous, harmless behaviors, unrelated to racism, and instead represent relevant processes within the science of racism and bias. It also provides a potential means of testing the effectiveness of interventions intended to reduce the commission of microaggressions.
ISSN:1867-1756
DOI:10.1007/s12552-020-09298-w