Anne Pedersen

Anger and Guilt About Ingroup Advantage Explain the Willingness for Political Action

Three studies examined non-Aboriginal Australians’ guilt and anger about their ingroup’s advantage over structurally disadvantaged Aborigines. Study 1 showed that participants who perceived their ingroup as relatively advantaged perceived this inequality as unfair and felt guilt and anger about it. Anger, and to a lesser degree guilt, predicted the willingness to engage in political action regarding ingroup advantage. Study 2 showed both guilt and anger to be relatively self-focused because both were associated with appraising the ingroup’s (rather than the government’s) discrimination as responsible for ingroup advantage. Study 3 examined on participants especially willing to engage in political action to bring about systemic compensation to Aborigines. Anger about ingroup advantage was a potent predictor. Although guilt was associated with the abstract goal of systemic compensation, guilt did not explain willingness for political action. Results underline the importance of examining specific group-based emotions in intergroup relations.

The Contact Caveat : Negative Contact Predicts Increased Prejudice More Than Positive Contact Predicts Reduced Prejudice

Contact researchers have largely overlooked the potential for negative intergroup contact to increase prejudice. In Study 1, we tested the interaction between contact quantity and valence on prejudice toward Black Australians (n = 1,476), Muslim Australians (n = 173), and asylum seekers (n = 293). In all cases, the association between contact quantity and prejudice was moderated by its valence, with negative contact emerging as a stronger and more consistent predictor than positive contact. In Study 2, White Americans (n = 441) indicated how much positive and negative contact they had with Black Americans on separate measures. Although both quantity of positive and negative contact predicted racism and avoidance, negative contact was the stronger predictor. Furthermore, negative (but not positive) contact independently predicted suspicion about Barack Obama’s birthplace. These results extend the contact hypothesis by issuing an important caveat: Negative contact may be more strongly associated with increased racism and discrimination than positive contact is with its reduction.

Group-based guilt as a predictor of commitment to apology

Whether the Australian government should officially apologize to Indigenous Australians for past wrongs is hotly debated in Australia. The predictors of support amongst non-Indigenous Australians for such an apology were examined in two studies. The first study (N=164) showed that group-based guilt was a good predictor of support for a government apology, as was the perception that non-Indigenous Australians were relatively advantaged. In the second study (N=116) it was found that group-based guilt was an excellent predictor of support for apology and was itself predicted by perceived non-Indigenous responsibility for harsh treatment of Indigenous people, and an absence of doubts about the legitimacy of group-based guilt. National identification was not a predictor of group-based guilt. The results of the two studies suggest that, just as individual emotions predict individual action tendencies, so group-based guilt predicts support for actions or decisions to be taken at the collective level.

Prejudice against Australian Aborigines : old-fashioned and modern forms

Prejudice is a pervasive and destructive social problem. Theories of prejudice distinguish between old-fashioned and modern forms. The former is an open rejection of minority group members; the latter is subtle and covert, with a veneer of outgroup acceptance. The present study examines the distinction in the context of contemporary attitudes to Australian Aborigines. Separate measures of each, and of other variables, were included in a random survey of the Perth metropolitan area in 1994. The two forms of prejudice were correlated (r=0.55), but factor analysis revealed that the two constructs are separable. Further, they were distributed differently in the population, with modern prejudice being more prevalent than old-fashioned prejudice (57.9 per cent scoring above the midpoint on the modern scale, and only 21.2 per cent on the old-fashioned scale). Modern prejudice was predicted more strongly by social psychological variables (R2=0.51) than was old-fashioned prejudice (R2=0.30), and the pattern of results from regression analyses differed for the two types of prejudice. Overall, the results confirm the distinction between old-fashioned and modern forms of prejudice, but indicate that the two are conceptually and empirically related to one another. Comparisons with earlier research reveal the declining prevalence of old-fashioned prejudice, but indicate prejudice is still a major social problem.

Talk does not cook rice: Beyond anti-racism rhetoric to strategies for social action

Studies throughout the Western world indicate that racism against marginalised groups is an ongoing societal problem. One frequently advocated way to reduce such racism is the implementation of anti-racism strategies. But how effective are they? In the present paper, we discuss how individual and interpersonal anti-racism strategies shape up. Thus, our paper generates suggestions for anti-racism strategies within the Australian context. As well as highlighting the positive outcomes, some detail about negative outcomes is provided because it is equally important to learn from unsuccessful strategies. There are several promising avenues that can be used in anti-racism strategies (e.g., using empathy, challenging false beliefs, giving people the opportunity to discuss racial issues, interacting with people of a different background from one’s own under certain conditions). However, the small number of studies that have examined long-term effects indicate that benefits are generally not sustained; more research is necessary in this regard. Additionally, some strategies have increased racism, so any strategy that is put into place must be considered very carefully. Overall, the results suggest that a top-down approach is needed (e.g., institutionally/community instigated action) as well as a bottom-up approach (e.g., addressing social – psychological variables). These two approaches are dynamic; one affects the other.

Attitudes toward Aboriginal Australians in city and country settings

The reasons behind the attitudes of non-Aboriginal Australians toward Aboriginal Australians have not been examined empirically. Neither has the relationship between such attitudes and false beliefs about Aboriginal people and entitlements, and “political correctness”. Two random surveys were conducted in 1997 in a city location (Perth, Western Australia) and a country mining town (Kalgoorlie, Western Australia). Three major findings emerged. First, modern prejudice (a subtle form of prejudice with a veneer of egalitarianism) was more prevalent than old-fashioned prejudice (a blunt, segregationist form of prejudice) in both locations, although Kalgoorlie residents scored significantly higher than Perth residents on modern prejudice. Second, political correctness was predicted by prejudice, which related (directly or not) with age, education, political orientation, and false beliefs. Third, attitudes toward Aboriginal people served both a value-expressive function (to do with values and beliefs) and an experiential-schematic function (to do with personal experience). However, the latter function was more prevalent in Kalgoorlie compared to Perth. Overall, the results support previous findings regarding the declining prevalence of old-fashioned prejudice, but indicate that prejudice is still commonplace. Additionally, the findings — especially those concerning false beliefs — suggest that the public should be given more information about Aboriginal history and issues, and that other strategies be put into place to address the problem of prejudice within Australian society.

Prediction of negative attitudes toward Australian asylum seekers: False beliefs, nationalism, and self-esteem

Over the last few years in Australia, the issue of asylum seekers has been a significant feature of the media, and a topic that many people feel very strongly about. However, there is little empirical research regarding attitudes toward asylum seekers. The purpose of the present study was to examine such attitudes in the Perth community, and what predicts them. In Study 1, an Attitudes Toward Asylum Seekers (ATAS) scale was constructed. In Study 2, self-esteem, national identity, false beliefs, and sociodemographics were used in an attempt to predict ATAS in a random survey of the Perth metropolitan area. Results indicated a weak correlation between high self-esteem and negative attitudes, and a strong correlation between a high level of false beliefs and negative attitudes. As a result of this latter relationship, two hierarchical regression equations were constructed: one predicting negative attitudes, the other predicting false beliefs. Regarding the ATAS scale, being male, higher levels of education, right-wing political position, and high levels of national identity had significant predictive value. Regarding the false beliefs scale, higher levels of education, right-wing political position, high levels of national identity, and increased age had significant predictive value. Given the large number of participants who scored above the midpoint of the ATAS scale, coupled with the high level of false beliefs reported, we suggest that a great deal of education about asylum seekers is called for.

Theory to social action: A university-based strategy targeting prejudice against Aboriginal Australians

The level of racism in Australia against Aboriginal Australians is well documented. This has an extremely detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Australians. One part of the solution may be anti-prejudice strategies, but to date few strategies that include a pre-test and a post-test assessment have been conducted in Australia. The present study describes the interventional qualities of a cultural psychology unit at an Australian university. Results indicated that after a 6-week period, students reported a significant reduction in prejudice, acceptance of false beliefs about Aboriginal Australians, and the perception that Aboriginal Australians unfairly receive preferential or special treatment. The article concludes that cultural psychology units have the potential to be an effective way of developing acceptance of cross-cultural differences.

Attitudes toward Indigenous Australians and asylum seekers: The role of false beliefs and other social-psychological variables

Australia has a long and chequered history regarding relations between different cultural groups. Indigenous, Asian, Yugoslav, Italian and Arabic Australians have all suffered from negativity directed toward them by “mainstream” Australia. At the beginning of the 21st century there has been much publicity about two groups: Indigenous Australians and asylum seekers. In this paper, we examine community attitudes toward these two groups, in particular the role of false beliefs in such attitudes. We then set out both the similarities and differences in these two highly related sets of attitudes, and conclude that Australia would appear not to be as accepting of a multi-cultural society as we sometimes believe, and on which we often pride ourselves. There are many social-psychological and structural issues related to negative attitudes toward Indigenous Australians and asylum seekers; much work needs to be carried out to address these.

Attitudes toward indigenous Australians: The issue of “special treatment”

Previous research has found that people who report negative attitudes toward Indigenous Australians also report acceptance of false beliefs such as “being Indigenous entitles you to more social security benefits”. In the present study, we were interested in examining negative attitudes toward Indigenous Australians across three Western Australian locations, and comments spontaneously generated by participants regarding what is known in the literature as “false beliefs”. to do this, we measured negative attitudes toward Indigenous Australians and content analysed responses to an open-ended question collected from 633 community members. Four categories relating to special treatment for Indigenous Australians were found in the form of Government handouts, education, the legal system, and housing. Participants who reported that they saw Indigenous Australians receiving special treatment were significantly more negative in their attitudes compared to participants who did not. Although some special treatment themes had some validity; others did not. We discuss the circumstances surrounding Indigenous disadvantage that may be viewed by some as preferential treatment. The present study adds to previous work by identifying what issues of “special treatment” are generated by participants without specific prompting. By identifying these themes, and bringing them into the public forum, this may have a significant effect on reducing negative attitudes toward Indigenous Australians.