Race-Based Shifting Standards and Racial Discrimination

Abstract

Members of stereotyped groups tend to be judged relative to group-specific standards such that subjective descriptions (smart , aggressive , tall ) mean something different when they are applied to members of different groups. A “shifting standards” effect is present when judgments of group members on objective rating scales show stronger evidence of assimilation to stereotypes than the same judgments on subjective scales. This research asks whether the tendency to shift standards when judging the academic competence of Black and White students is related to measures of racial prejudice and to race-relevant decisions. In three studies, the tendency to shift standards was uncorrelated with other measures of prejudice but predicted reduced allocation of funds to a Black student organization, an effect moderated by implicit prejudice. The importance of examining interactions among indicators as they predict behavioral outcomes and implications for the conceptualization of prejudice are discussed.