Story recall in young Black and White children: Effects of racial group membership, race of experimenter, and dialect.

Tested the effects of racial group membership, race of E, and dialect on unstructured and probed recall. l6 Black and 16 White 4-6 mo old children were Ss. Subgroups of 4 Ss within each racial group were randomly assigned to the experimental conditions such that order of exposure to E (Black and White) and dialects Standard English vs Black English vernacular) were counterbalanced. Results show that Whites performed better than Blacks in Standard English, Blacks performed better than Whites in Black English vernacular, Blacks tested in Black English vernacular were equivalent to Whites tested in Standard English, and Whites performed better in Standard English than in Black English vernacular. When probed with questions, there was an overall increase in the proportion of correct information for both racial groups. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WISC-R subscale patterns of abilities of Blacks and Whites matched on Full Scale IQ.

270 Black and 270 White children (ages 6–16.5 yrs) drawn from the national stratified random sample used in the standardization of the WISC-R were matched on age, sex, and WISC-R Full-Scale IQ to facilitate investigation of the patterns of specific cognitive abilities, as measured by the 12 subtests of the WISC-R, between the 2 racial groups. Multivariate analysis of the patterns of subtest differences between Whites and Blacks and group comparisons on 3 orthogonalized factor scores (Verbal, Performance, Memory) showed small but reliable average White–Black differences in patterns of ability. The IQ-matched racial groups showed no significant difference on the Verbal factor; Whites exceeded Blacks on the Performance (largely spatial visualization) factor; Blacks exceeded Whites on the Memory factor. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer acceptance and school-related variables in an integrated junior high school.

Interracial peer acceptance at the junior high school level was related to 9 predictor variables: grade point average (GPA), IQ, attendance, self-concept of academic ability, sex, race, age, years in the school, and classroom racial composition. 322 7th- and 8th-grade students from predominantly lower-middle-class backgrounds were administered modified Syracuse Scales of Human Relations, measuring academic and social acceptance. Analysis of variance results show that White Ss slightly preferred Whites for the satisfaction of their academic and social needs. However, with stepwise multiple regression analysis, race was not a significant predictor variable for academic or social acceptance by White Ss. GPA and sex were the most prominent predictors of acceptance. Black Ss accepted both Black peers and White peers equally for academic interaction but preferred Blacks for social interaction. Race was a significant predictor variable for academic and social acceptance by Black Ss. However, race was secondary to GPA and/or sex for academic acceptance by Black females and Black males. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple myeloma among Blacks and Whites in the United States: role of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages

In the United States, the incidence rates of multiple myeloma in Blacks are more than twice those in Whites, but the etiology of this cancer is poorly understood. A population-based case-control interview study of 571 subjects (365 White, 206 Black) with multiple myeloma and 2,122 controls (1,155 White, 967 Black) living in three areas of the United States (Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey) offered the opportunity to investigate the relationship with smoking and alcohol drinking and to evaluate whether these factors might contribute to the excess risk of multiple myeloma in Blacks. For Blacks and Whites of either gender, there were no significantly elevated risks associated with ever use of cigarettes or alcoholic beverages and no consistent patterns with either intensity or duration of use. These data support previous studies indicating that smoking and drinking are not related causally to the risk of multiple myeloma, and thus cannot account for the racial disparity in incidence rates.     

Differences in measures of personality and family environment among Black and White alcoholics.

Reviewing 16 studies, D. Pritchard and A. Rosenblatt (see record 1980-11070-001) claimed to find no evidence that the MMPI is racially biased. M. Gynther and S. B. Green (see record 1980-11037-001), reviewing 40 studies, concluded that racial bias in the MMPI varies as a function of sampling, with bias more likely when normal Blacks are compared with normal Whites but not when abnormal groups are compared. The present study compared MMPI scores of 272 White and 56 Black alcoholics. Blacks scored significantly lower on a few scales (e.g., Hysteria), but profile differences were not clinically meaningful, particularly when the covariates of age, education, and socioeconomic status were controlled. Blacks differed appreciably on the Family Environment Scale (FES), however, rating social climates more positively than Whites. Findings that Blacks obtained negligible differences on a wholly White normed test (the MMPI), contrasted with the significant differences and better adjustment shown by Blacks over Whites on a test normed with minority-group representation (the FES), interject new considerations into the issue of racial bias. Whereas nonsignificant differences would not appear to support the contention of racial bias on the MMPI, FES results question whether such nonsignificance actually rules out test bias. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implications for social policy of variability in racial groups.

Social policy and federal and state legislation require the use of single cut scores when tests of cognitive ability, knowledge, or skills (CAKS) are used to make high-stakes assessment decisions, such as whether students or employees may be promoted. Rationales offered for the requirement are that cut scores provide objective standards and are fairer than using subjective criteria, such as racial group membership. It is argued that failure to consider threats to statistical conclusion validity, such as differences in variability between groups, obscures the differential impact of using a common cut score as the basis for highstakes decisions. Analyses of 40 Black and White samples revealed that (a) Whites might be considerably advantaged and Blacks might be considerably disadvantaged by the same cut score and (b) depending on where the cut score is set, decisions based on ratios of numbers of Whites numbers of Blacks might be fairer than use of CAKS test cut scores. Implications for assessment practice and social policy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors influencing racial comparisons of self-esteem: A quantitative review.

Research on racial comparisons of self-esteem was examined. Early research in this area, exemplified by the doll studies of racial preference, was viewed as demonstrating that Blacks have less self-regard than Whites. However, a meta-analytic synthesis of 261 comparisons, based largely on self-esteem scales and involving more than half a million respondents, revealed higher scores for Black than for White children, adolescents, and young adults. This analysis further revealed that the direction and magnitude of racial differences are influenced by such demographic characteristics as participant age and socioeconomic status, as well as by characteristics of the measuring instruments. Many findings—for example, that the self-esteem advantage for Black respondents increases with age and is related to the sex composition of the sample—underscore the need for long-term longitudinal studies of self-esteem development in male and female members of both racial groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluative race–class stereotypes by race and perceived class of subjects.

80 Black and 74 White college students assigned traits, from a list of 80, to the Black lower class, Black middle class, White lower class, and White middle class. Each S rated the 5 or fewer traits that he or she had chosen as being most typical of the respective race–class groups from –5 (unfavorable) to +5 (favorable) for the given groups. Ss also assigned themselves to 1 of 4 classes: lower class, working class, middle class, or upper class. On the basis of these judgments, the Ss within each racial group were classified as perceiving themselves to be above or below the median of their own race's distribution. White Ss assigned more favorable characteristics to the middle than to the lower class and did not rate Blacks lower than Whites. Black Ss made a similar, but smaller, social class distinction and, in addition, generally perceived Blacks more favorably than Whites. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonverbal communication of affect in interracial dyads.

Two experiments investigated the relationship between nonverbal behavior and the racial composition of a teacher–student dyad. The Multifactor Racial Attitude Inventory was used to measure prejudice. In Exp I, 36 high- and low-prejudiced White female undergraduates, acting as teachers, were led to praise successful White and Black students (confederates). Analysis of samples of nonverbal behavior showed that high-prejudiced teachers nonverbally discriminated between White and Black students (favoring Whites) significantly more than low-prejudiced teachers. In Exp II, 40 White and Black teachers (female undergraduates) taught successful White and Black students (confederates). Results show that both Whites and Blacks behaved nonverbally more positively to a student of their own race than to a student of the other race, although only same-race judges (12 White female undergraduates) could distinguish the differences in affect displayed by the Ss. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor intake judgments about White and Black clients in a university counseling center.

Compared counselor intake judgments about White and Black clients at a university counseling center. 1,078 White and 42 Black clients were randomly assigned to 1 of 13 counselors (11 Whites, 2 Blacks), who rated the clients on 11 variables. Counselors reported significantly higher ratings only on the judged potential for change in Black clients when compared with that in White clients. Ratings in the type and severity of presenting problem, client anxiety level, ease of expression, motivation, realism of goals, and physical appearance were not significantly different. Counselors' feelings about clients and the predicted number of counseling sessions were also similar for Black and White clients. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in MMPI scores of Black and White compulsive heroin users.

Investigated the question of racial bias in the MMPI by comparing responses of 252 Black and 120 White compulsive heroin users on both (a) empirically derived validity and clinical scales and (b) intuitively constructed content scales. Ss were male veterans admitted to a drug treatment program at a VA Hospital. In both univariate and multivariate ANOVAs and covariance of individual scales and overall profiles, Black users differed significantly from White users; the direction of differences was opposite to that reported for Blacks in previous studies of normal and psychiatric samples. Blacks scored significantly lower on 6 clinical scales (i.e., Infrequency, Depression, Psychopathic Deviate, Psychasthenia, Schizophrenia, and Social Introversion) when profile validity and the covariates age, intelligence, and socioeconomic status were both controlled and uncontrolled. On content scales, Whites displayed greater personality disturbance in Social Maladjustment and Family Problems, whereas Blacks obtained higher scores on Feminine Interests and Phobias. Results show that methodologically the question of a Black bias in the MMPI awaits additional information about the interaction of ethnicity with clinical samples; substantively, the results refute the assumption of personality trait communality among compulsive heroin users and suggest that ethnicity is an influential S background characteristic by which subgroups of heroin users might be identified. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Metoprolol metabolism via cytochrome P4502D6 in ethnic populations

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether metabolism via cytochrome P4502D6 (CYP2D6) was higher in Black subjects than White subjects. METHODS: Ten Black and 10 White healthy male volunteers who were phenotyped CYP2D6 extensive metabolizer phenotypes participated in this randomized, cross-over study in which metoprolol was used as a model CYP2D6 substrate. In both study phases, subjects received oral rac-metoprolol tartrate (200 mg); during one phase, subjects also took quinidine sulfate (100 mg) daily beginning 3 days before the dose of metoprolol. Plasma samples were collected for 12 and 24 hr after the dose in the metoprolol and metoprolol plus quinidine phases, respectively. Metoprolol enantiomer concentrations were determined by chiral HPLC with fluorescence detection. RESULTS: S-metoprolol areas under the concentration vs. time curves during the metoprolol phase were 879 +/- 600 ng/ml*hr in White subjects vs. 984 +/- 653 ng/ml*hr in Black subjects. During inhibition of CYP2D6-mediated metabolism with quinidine, S-metoprolol areas under the concentration vs. time curves were 2515 +/- 749 and 2719 +/- 742 in White and Black subjects, respectively. Metoprolol elimination half-lives in both groups were approximately doubled by quinidine. Mean S-metoprolol/R-metoprolol ratios were 1.39 in both racial groups during the metoprolol phase, and during the metoprolol plus quinidine phase were 0.89 and 1.03 in White subjects and Black subjects, respectively (p < 0.05, Blacks vs. Whites). The percentage of metoprolol metabolism inhibited by quinidine was similar between Blacks and Whites (e.g., 66 +/- 15% and 64 +/- 25% of S-metoprolol apparent oral clearance in Blacks and Whites, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that there are no differences between Black subjects and White subjects in metabolism via CYP2D6. There were also no racial differences in the contribution of CYP2D6 to overall metoprolol metabolism. The results of this study suggest that drugs are primarily metabolized by CYP2D6 will not exhibit racial differences in their disposition.     

Expectations and achievement among third-, sixth-, and ninth-grade Black and White males and females.

Hypothesized that (a) boys in 3rd, 6th, and 9th grade would have higher expectations than girls, but only 9th-grade boys would have higher achievement; (b) achievement would increase with grade; (c) Whites would have higher expectations and achievement than Blacks; and (d) realism would increase with grade level. 112 Black and White 3rd, 6th, and 9th graders recorded their expectations and then attempted to perform tasks of math, mazes, or geometric drawings. Contrary to predictions and most previous studies, no significant sex differences were found. Whites achieved higher scores on mazes and drawings than did Blacks. The expectations of Blacks rose with grade level, regardless of concomitant achievements; but expectations of Whites did not. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of WISC and WISC-R regression lines for academic prediction with Black and with White referred children.

Regression lines for the prediction of Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) scores by WISC and Revised WISC (WISC-R) Full Scale IQs were compared across race, by the Potthoff technique, for 36 Black and for 30 White referred children. Regression lines for Blacks and Whites did not differ significantly for the prediction of WRAT scores by either the WISC or the WISC-R. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Compositions in Black and White: Determinants of interaction in interracial dyads.

Examined the initial, unstructured interactions of 40 interracial (Black–White) dyads in which 3 factors were systematically varied. These factors were the disposition of the White dyad members to either seek out or shun interaction with Blacks, the race (Black vs White) of the experimenter, and the gender composition (male–male vs female–female) of the dyads. Results show that within dyads, White dyad members displayed more interactional involvement than their Black partners but experienced the interactions as more stressful and uncomfortable. Whites predisposed to avoid interaction with Blacks looked and smiled at their partners less than those predisposed to initiate interaction. Both Black and White members of these avoidance dyads reported heightened feelings of anxiety and concern about their interactions, but the moderating influences of the Whites' approach–avoidance dispositions on interaction behavior were essentially limited to conditions in which the experimenter was Black and the White S was a "solo minority." It is suggested that Black–White partner effects are attributable to differing amounts of cross-race contact typically experienced by Blacks and Whites. Black–White experimenter effects are interpreted in terms of S. E. Taylor's (1981) hypothesis that stereotypes and related dispositions are activated in social contexts in which group membership is made salient. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Race differences in stress-induced reactivity in young adults.

Studied the cardiovascular response to the stress of mental arithmetic in 121 young Black and White adults. Stress-induced reactivity was studied before and following 14 days of oral sodium loading (10 gm NaCl per day). Marginal hypertensives, both Black and White, had greater systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels and greater diastolic BP levels in response to stress. Whites had a greater SBP level during mental stress than Blacks and greater reactivity. The prevalence of sodium sensitivity was greater in Blacks (37.3%) than in Whites (18.4%). Sodium loading did not augment the BP reactivity to the mental stress in any of the racial or BP groups. Data demonstrate racial variation in the cardiovascular response to centrally medicated adrenergic stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implicit and explicit prejudice and interracial interaction.

The present research examined how implicit racial associations and explicit racial attitudes of Whites relate to behaviors and impressions in interracial interactions. Specifically, the authors examined how response latency and self-report measures predicted bias and perceptions of bias in verbal and nonverbal behavior exhibited by Whites while they interacted with a Black partner. As predicted, Whites' self-reported racial attitudes significantly predicted bias in their verbal behavior to Black relative to White confederates. Furthermore, these explicit attitudes predicted how much friendlier Whites felt that they behaved toward White than Black partners. In contrast, the response latency measure significantly predicted Whites' nonverbal friendliness and the extent to which the confederates and observers perceived bias in the participants' friendliness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical comparison of Black and White suicide attempters.

Compared clinical characteristics of Black and White suicide attempters. The sample consisted of virtually all (N?=?275) attempters aged 16 yrs and older brought to the Emergency Unit of the Yale-New Haven Hospital over a 1-yr period (1971–1972). Clinical ratings were made by on-duty resident psychiatrists using 42 variables dealing with mood, motivation, etc. Statistical analysis revealed few differences in Black and White profiles, a result contrary to theories asserting that Black psychology requires different principles from that of White psychology. A related incidental finding was that the frequency of suicide attempts appeared to be about the same among Blacks and Whites, which discredits the widely held belief that suicide is not an important psychiatric problem among Blacks. Rating areas in which the 2 groups did differ somewhat included extent of motivation to influence others, feelings of depression (hopelessness), and deliberateness of planning the attempt. In each of these areas, White attempters had higher scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Black/white differences in the relationship between MMSE scores and disability: the Women's Health and Aging Study

The purpose of this article is to examine Black/White differences among older women in the relationship between physical functional difficulties and variations in cognitive status, measured within the low to high normal range of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). We studied 3,585 women with MMSE scores of 18 and above from a population-based random sample of 3,841 community-dwelling women aged 65 and older living in East Baltimore, Maryland. Trained interviewers administered the MMSE and obtained information on demographics, medical conditions, and functional difficulties. Prevalence of any functional difficulty was 43.3% in Whites and 48.5% in Blacks, who were 25% of the study sample. After adjusting for age and education, a significant trend for increasing functional difficulty with decreasing MMSE scores was found in White women but not in Black women. Since no explanation for these racial differences could be identified, these findings suggest that the MMSE may not be a valid predictor of functional difficulty in Black women who score > or = 18 on the instrument.     

Race and self-esteem: Meta-analyses comparing Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and American Indians and comment on Gray-Little and Hafdahl (2000).

These meta-analyses examine race differences in self-esteem among 712 datapoints. Blacks scored higher than Whites on self-esteem measures (d=0.19), but Whites scored higher than other racial minority groups, including Hispanics (d=-0.09), Asians (d=-0.30), and American Indians (d=-0.21). Most of these differences were smallest in childhood and grew larger with age. Blacks' self-esteem increased over time relative to Whites', with the Black advantage not appearing until the 1980s. Black and Hispanic samples scored higher on measures without an academic self-esteem subscale. Relative to Whites, minority males had lower self-esteem than did minority females, and Black and Hispanic self-esteem was higher in groups with high socioeconomic status. The results are most consistent with a cultural interpretation of racial differences in self-esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)