Interesting Article for Voir Dire

Feeling Threatened About

the Future: Whites’ Emotional

Reactions to Anticipated

Ethnic Demographic Changes

H. Robert Outten1, Michael T. Schmitt1, Daniel A. Miller2,

and Amber L. Garcia3

Abstract

In many Western countries, the proportion of the population that is White will drop below 50% within the next century. Two experiments examined how anticipation of these future ethnic demographics affects current intergroup processes. In Study 1, White Americans who viewed actual demographic projections for a time when Whites are no longer a numerical

majority felt more angry toward and fearful of ethnic minorities than Whites who did not view future projections. Whites who viewed the future projections also felt more sympathy for their ingroup than Whites in the control condition. In Study 2, the authors replicated the effects for intergroup emotions with a sample of White Canadians. White Canadians who thought about a future in which Whites were a numerical minority appraised the ingroup as more threatened, which mediated the effect of condition on intergroup emotions. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for race relations in

increasingly diverse societies.

Here is the link to the article.

Using Fast and Frugal Presentation Of The Trial Story

Does Fast or Slow Evaluation Foster Greater Certainty?

Zakary L. Tormala1, Joshua J. Clarkson2, and Marlone D. Henderson3

Abstract

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 37(3) 422–434 © 2011 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc

This research investigates the effect of perceived evaluation duration—that is, the perceived time or speed with which one generates an evaluation—on attitude certainty. Integrating diverse findings from past research, the authors propose that perceiving either fast or slow evaluation can augment attitude certainty depending on specifiable factors. Across three studies, it is shown that when people express opinions, evaluate familiar objects, or typically trust their gut reactions, perceiving fast rather than slow evaluation generally promotes greater certainty. In contrast, when people form opinions, evaluate unfamiliar objects, or typically trust more thoughtful responses, perceiving slow rather than fast evaluation generally promotes greater certainty. Mediation analyses reveal that these effects stem from trade-offs between perceived rational thought and the perceived ease of retrieving an attitude. Implications for research on deliberative versus intuitive decision making are discussed.

http://psp.sagepub.com/content/37/3/422.abstract