Michigan State University Extension
Diversity and Pluralism - 12210068
12/95/

ERIC TITLE NUMBER: 68-02107 AUTHOR: Garcia, Luis T.; Erskine, Nancy; Hawn, Kathy; Casmay, Susanne R.


TITLE: The effect of affirmative action on attributions
about minority group members.

YEAR PUBLISHED: 1981
JOURNAL: Journal-of-Personality; 1981 Dec Vol 49(4) 427-437


ABSTRACT: Tested the effects of affirmative action (AA) on
minority attributions by hypothesizing that a minority
applicant to graduate school would be perceived as less
qualified when the school had an AA program than when it
did not, and that a nonminority applicant would be
perceived as more qualified if the school had an AA
program. In Study 1, 158 nonminority undergraduates were
given information about an applicant to graduate school and
asked to rate his qualifications. The information
experimentally varied (a) whether the school had an AA
policy, (b) the ethnicity of the applicant (Hispanic or
Anglo), and (c) whether the applicant was accepted or
rejected. The results support the 1st prediction but not
the 2nd. Study 2 questioned 126 undergraduates and was
designed to eliminate alternative interpretations of the
data. The same results were found. Possible interpretations
for the failure of AA in affecting the ratings of
nonminority applicants are discussed. (7 ref)
(PsycLIT Database Copyright 1982 American Psychological
Assn, all rights reserved)

KEY DESCRIPTORS: HISPANICS-; MINORITY-GROUPS; STUDENT
ADMISSION-CRITERIA; GRADUATE-SCHOOLS; EQUAL-EDUCATION;
ATTRIBUTION-; STUDENT-ATTITUDES


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