RACE AND RATIO PERCEPTION
Abstract
A study was made of the hypothesis that minority group members who are visually distinguishable in contrast to majority group members tend to possess a distorted perception of the percentage of marked or unmarked objects in a visual field, particularly when the marked objects represent members of their own minority group. The associations between various characteristics of the elements in the perceptual field and ratio perception were also explored. The critical task required the subjects (Ss) to estimate the percentage of marked or unmarked objects in a field of sixty objects displayed for one second. The independent variables included the race of the perceiver (Negro or White); the percentage of focused objects in the field (10% to 90% in intervals of ten) ; the heterogeneity of the field of objects (two or three different objects); the labelling of the objects as zero, minus, plus as opposed to European, Asian, African; and the focused object (unmarked circle, minus-marked circle, or plus- marked circle). In general, the Negroes in contrast to the Whites tended to underestimate the percentage of unmarked objects in the perceptual field. These results were interpreted as supporting, in part, the initial framework. Moreover, it was found that higher estimates were submitted when three rather than two varieties of objects were displayed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 02, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0268417
Entities
People
- Richard D. Behringer
- Robert C. Ziller
Organizations
- University of Delaware