Racial prejudice and social values: How I perceive others and myself

Abstract

The process of attribution values to some groups can be used as a resource for determining differences between ingroup and outgroup, what may lead to discriminatory behavior against the outgroup. In this sense, the present study sought to determine whether individuals perceive dissimilarities between the values attibuted to themselves, to white and to black people, and if these dissimilarities can follow a prejudice-based logic, expressing subtle racial prejudice. Study 1 (n = 220) aimed to rank the values in terms of socio-economic progress, identifying values that are representative of developed and underdeveloped countries. Study 2 (n = 420) evaluated whether the values attibuted to themselves, to the black and to the white are different and this difference follows a prejudice-based. Overall, results showed a tendency towards the association of third world values such as collectivism to blacks, and first world values such as individualism to whites.