When an "Educated" Black Man Becomes Lighter in the Mind's Eye
Evidence for a Skin Tone Memory Bias
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3380923 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Avi Ben-Zeev (0000-0003-1360-7883, San Francisco State University, corresponding author), Tara C Dennehy (0000-0002-3124-1419, University of Massachusetts Amherst), Robin I Goodrich (University of California, Davis), Branden S Kolarik (0000-0003-4478-062X, University of California, Davis), Mark W Geisler (San Francisco State University) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 4/1/2158244013516770 |
| Publication date | 2014-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | SAGE Open (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2158-2440 • E-ISSN: 2158-2440 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/2158244013516770 |
| OpenAlex | W2163074571 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
| References cited | 38 |
We offer novel evidence that a Black man appears lighter in the mind's eye following a counter-stereotypic prime, a phenomenon we refer to as skin tone memory bias. In Experiment 1, participants were primed subliminally with the counter-stereotypic word educated or with the stereotypic word ignorant, followed by the target stimulus of a Black man's face. A recognition memory task for the target's face and six lures (skin tone variations of ±25%, ±37%, and ±50%) revealed that participants primed with "educated" exhibited more memory errors with respect to lighter lures-misidentifying even the lightest lure as the target more often than counterparts primed with "ignorant." This skin tone memory bias was replicated in Experiment 2. We situate these findings in theorizing on the mind's striving for cognitive consistency. Black individuals who defy social stereotypes might not challenge social norms sufficiently but rather may be remembered as lighter, perpetuating status quo beliefs
Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Phenomenon · Subliminal stimuli · Face Recognition and Perception · Neuroscience · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 11 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2026 (12) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 11 |