Now One Is Russian, Now One Is Not: Ethnic Attitudes and Categorization Effects in the Russian Federation

Abstract

We studied implicit and explicit ethnic attitudes and ethnic evaluations in Russia, where ethnic prejudice and violence are on the rise. Undergraduate sociology students ( N = 54) judged 100 faces, varying in facial physiognomy (Eurocentric to Afrocentric) and skin tone (light to dark), and completed implicit and explicit ethnic attitude measures. Participants used skin tone when evaluating faces as Russian or non-Russian, and relied on facial physiognomy for finer distinctions among lighter faces. Implicit ethnic attitudes moderated the effects of skin tone and facial physiognomy on ethnic typicality judgments. Explicit and implicit attitudes were very pro-Russian, with negative explicit attitudes expressed toward some ethnic groups. Implicit and explicit attitudes toward non-Russian groups were largely independent. This research has important implications for contemporary ethnic relationships in Russia, where being categorized as “non-Russian” has serious life-threatening consequences. It also has implications for models of social categorization: It addresses how variability in two dimensions (skin tone and facial physiognomy) and preexisting implicit attitudes affect ethnic categorization judgments.