New Study Confirms Depressing Truth About Names And Racial Bias

[KamaAina]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-sounding-names-study_561697a5e4b0dbb8000d687f

Students with stereotypically "black"-sounding names tend to be labeled as troublemakers by teachers. Job applicants with such names are less likely than their white-sounding counterparts to get called in for interviews. When residents with "black"-sounding names contact their local government for information about schools or libraries, they are less likely to receive a response.

Adding to this troubling compendium of results is a disturbing new study, published Thursday in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. The study of mostly white participants shows that men with black-sounding names are more likely to be imagined as physically large, dangerous and violent than those with stereotypically white-sounding names....

In one version of the story, the character's name was either Jamal, DeShawn or Darnell. In another version, the character's name was either Connor, Wyatt or Garrett.

In the second experiment, the same story was read, but this time the main character was described as either a successful college graduate or business owner, or as someone who had been convicted of assault. In both experiments, the participants were asked to report their impressions of the main character's height, build, status and aggressiveness, among other characteristics. Jamal, DeShawn or Darnell were invariably considered to be larger in size and more aggressive than Connor, Wyatt or Garrett, the researchers found.

[SheilaT]

1. I am not surprised.

I like to think I'm relatively bias free, but I do tend to have an inner negative response to the "typically black" names. And I know I'm being wrong when that happens, and I haven't a clue how to stop responding that way.

What we name our kids really does matter.

[Igel]

3. But the bias is drastically reduced

even if the person involved is identified as black.

Michael (race: black) is much more white than Devante (race: unknown) or Devante (race: black).

People try to shove it into the race category even when the race is pushed in the readers' or respondents' face. If you only have a hammer, every problem is a nail. It's more likely a cultural category and has been analyzed as such (usually with the suspicion it's really a proxy for race, with respondents somehow not seeing the blatant in-your-face identification). It would be interesting to see what happens to oddball ("white trash&quot names where the bearer is identified as white when it comes to general reception and call-ups for jobs.

[SheilaT]

5. Interesting point.

There have been similar studies about hypothetical job applicants, the difference being a male name vs a female name.

People instinctively understand that what they name their kid matters, but sometimes then go off and give their kid a name that's not at all helpful.

In the study you're talking about, the race bias is especially unfortunate. I'm white myself, but I can sort of imagine being black and proud of it, and wanting to give my kids names that reflect that pride. But then, those names turn out to hurt more than help. It's not right or fair, but alas it's there.

[valerief]

2. Duh. That's cuz America is racist and classist. nt

[olddots]

4. I hate names in general

Yours Truly 5262323

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. "The study of mostly white participants" ...

It would be interesting to expand the range of participants, with bias measurements reported by race, gender, age, etc.

This study sounds like it was tuned to achieve desired results.

[Snobblevitch]

7. It would be interesting a for a study like thise to

include names from other cultures. Try including names like Aberaham or Mordecai; Juan or Jorge. Then add Mohammed and Mustafa and see what happens. The 'labels' do not only happen to African Americans.

[KamaAina]

8. Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown = obvious gang member!

He should have started for the Cubbies tonight.

[Snobblevitch]

9. I remember a kid in school we referred to as

'Three Finger'. He was messing around with shotgun shells, taking out the powder and primers. He was attempting to build a bomb and he ignited the stuff and lost two fingers on his left hand.