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Arguments about race Social scientists Race is a social construction. There are no meaningful or important differences between groups that have been called different “races.” Concerns: geneticization and increase in racism (history and attitudinal research) Biological scientists “Ancestry” is not the same thing as race. Accurate understanding of how genes work will prevent racism. Concerns: geneticization and public (mis)understandings of genetics Race, health and genetic variation at the UI What do “regular” UI experts think race is? Are there disciplinary differences? Biological / social science differences? How do professors / T.A.s teach about race in their classrooms? What do students think race is? How do they incorporate, or not, what they hear in UI classrooms about race, genes, health disparities, evolution, behavior etc. into their beliefs about race? Methods Qualitative: 40 interviews with sociologists (9), biologists (8), biological anthropologists (10), psychologists (2), and 5-10 undergraduate seniors from each discipline. Quantitative: Student survey assessing (a) genetic / environmental explanations of physical traits, behaviors, health conditions (b) what happens to these explanations when race is a factor. The Undergraduate Survey GOAL 1: 1. (i) Identify the degree to which students have succumbed to geneticizing trends. How likely are they, in general, to explain a complex trait or behavior with reference to genes, the focus of biology classes, or to the environment, as emphasized by sociology courses, or (more accurately, in the view of experts) to some combination of the two? (ii) What is the effect of knowledge about genetics? Does understanding what genes are, how they function and how they are inherited make a student more or less likely to look to genes when explaining human behavior or group health disparities? The Undergraduate Survey Goal 2 How does race (when associated with a trait or behavior) affect those explanations. Does the race of an individual displaying a particular trait or behavior affect the extent to which students look to the environment or to genetics to account for it? (Research shows association between racism and genetic explanations of group differences) The Undergraduate Survey Goal 3: Does priming students to think of reproduction, family and kinship increase genetic explanations of behavior and / or produce higher measures of racial prejudice? The Undergraduate Survey For each of the traits or behaviors described in the following questions, please indicate what percent you think is due to the genes a person inherits, and what percent is due to learning, experience, income, education and other aspects of the environment. 21 point scale – • finer grade choice • may help prevent framing genes and environment as mutually exclusive and oppositional. Part 1 • List of 18 traits. • Physical traits; height, skin color, freckles and birth weight. • Complex characteristics; athleticism, intelligence, criminality, drive to succeed, sexual orientation, sexual interest, alcoholism and drug abuse. • • Health conditions; diabetes, heart disease, lung cancer, sickle-cell anemia, hemophilia, and breast cancer Part 2 – Vignettes – 4 versions • Version 1 - Stereotype-challenging • A middle-aged white man who gets drunk several times a week and often can't remember what happened during these drinking episodes. • A 30 year-old Hispanic woman who is a good all round athlete, was on the high school varsity basketball team at school and still works out several times a week. • A highly intelligent black man who did very well in school and is now a partner in a large law firm. • An Asian-American woman who dropped out of school at 16, was arrested three times before she was 20 and is now serving time in prison. • A 50 year-old white woman who is diagnosed with high blood pressure and at a high risk of suffering a stroke Vignettes: Version 3 -Stereotype set • A middle-aged black man who gets drunk several times a week and often can't remember what happened during these drinking episodes • A 30 year-old white woman who is a good all round athlete, was on the high school varsity basketball team at school and still works out several times a week. • A highly intelligent Asian-American man who did very well in school and is now a partner in a large law firm. • A Hispanic woman who dropped out of school at 16, was arrested three times before she was 20 and is now serving time in prison • A 50 year-old black woman who is diagnosed with high blood pressure and a high risk of suffering a stroke. Vignettes – 2 Priming Questions Version 2 (stereotype challenging + priming) and Version 4 (stereotype set + priming) Inheritance and kinship • Please indicate on the following list who genes are inherited from: • Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Aunt, Uncle, Grandparent, Grandparent’s sister, Grandparent’s brother, Grandparent’s parent. • Reproduction and inheritance - Additional Vignette • “A white / black woman who had two difficult pregnancies, two premature (early) births and two infants who required intensive medical care after birth.” Part 3 • Brief definitions of concepts • “a gene,” • “ancestry” • “evolution” • “Social construction” • Qualitative: The goal was to probe their understandings of these concepts and to unearth any common misconceptions. Part 4 • Demographic • Gender • Age • Race • Political affiliation • Major • Racial attitude question • “How comfortable would you be if a close family member married a person who identifies as (white / African-American / Hispanic / Asian-American / Native American)” • V. comfortable / somewhat comfortable / somewhat uncomfortable / v. uncomfortable Abstract traits – Part 1 Scores 0 = 100% genetic 6 = 75% genetic 11 = 50% genetic Characteristic Mean Score Percent due to genes Skin Color Height Freckles Birth Weight 3.49 4.70 5.56 8.71 87.5 % 81.5 % 77.5 % 61.5 % Athleticism Intelligence Alcoholism Drug Abuse Drive to succeed Criminality 10.14 10.56 11.69 13.19 14.80 16.83 54.5 % 52.25 % 46.5 % 39 % 31 % 21 % Sexual Orientation Sexual Interest 9.22 13.05 59 % 39.75 % Sickle Cell Anemia Hemophilia 4.61 4.65 82 % 81.75 % Heart Disease Diabetes 8.98 9.33 60 % 58.5 % Lung Cancer Breast Cancer 13.25 7.52 38.75 % 67.5 % 16 = 25% genetic 21 = 0% genetic Vignettes Alcoholism BEFORE Abstract AFTER -> VERSION 1 White man Mean: Variance: SD: N: 11.69 23.04 4.80 527 % students who responded 75% or more genetic 23% VERSION 2 VERSION 3 Black man VERSION 4 Cumulative 1+2+3+4 15.00 23.85 4.88 122 14.91 22.56 4.75 122 15.28 22.27 4.72 127 14.52 27.43 5.24 137 14.93 24.03 4.89 527 12% 10% 10% 10% 10.5% Alcoholism Athleticism Athleticism BEFORE Abstract AFTER VERSION VERSION VERSION VERSION 4 Cumulative 1 2 3 1+2+3+4 Hispanic White woman woman Mean: Variance: SD: N: 10.14 19.77 4.45 521 13.75 17.29 4.16 122 12.95 24.30 4.93 122 14.20 20.37 4.51 127 13.70 22.83 4.78 137 13.65 % students who responded 75% or more genetic 31% 8% 19% 9% 13% 12.25% Athleticism Intelligence Intelligence Mean: Variance: SD: N: % students who responded 75% or more genetic BEFORE AFTER Abstract VERSION VERSION 1 2 Black man 10.56 13.69 12.66 19.68 25.35 28.26 4.44 5.03 5.32 525 121 121 VERSION 3 As-Am man 14.04 25.02 5.00 127 VERSION Cumulative 4 1+2+3+4 13.50 24.49 4.95 137 13.47 26% 14% 16% 16.5% 15% 21% Intelligence Criminality Criminality BEFORE AFTER Abstract VERSION VERSION 1 2 As-Am woman VERSION VERSION Cumulative 3 4 1+2+3+4 Hispan Woman Mean: Variance: SD: N: 16.83 15.53 3.94 527 17.15 10.54 3.25 121 16.38 18.24 4.27 121 17.50 13.43 3.66 127 17.26 15.38 3.92 136 17.07 % students who responded 75% or more genetic 2% 1% 4% 4% 6% 3.75% Criminality Heart Disease Heart Dx BEFORE Abstract AFTER VERSION VERSION 2 1 VERSION VERSION 3 4 Cumulative 1+2+3+4 Mean: Variance: SD: N: 8.98 17.12 4.14 525 10.25 22.80 4.77 122 9.88 22.14 4.70 121 9.28 20.57 4.54 127 9.20 22.49 4.74 137 9.65 % students who responded 75% or more genetic 41% 32% 36% 43% 47% 39.5% Heart Dx White – racial attitude Q1 Questions for consultants • Is the relationship between the vignette question form and the decrease in genetic attributions significant? • Control for gender, political affiliation? • Difference between vignettes – i.e. effect of race and priming. Is there a trend? What sample size would I need if I was to do this again? • Is there a relationship between genetic attributions and genetic knowledge? • Is there a relationship between racial discomfort and genetic attributions? Overall? For each version?