Positive and negative prejudice: Interactions of prejudice with race and social desirability1

Abstract

Two studies were conducted in order to investigate positive prejudice toward Negroes By defining positive prejudice as favoritism toward Negro stimulus persons over white stimulus persons of identical personality descriptions, it was possible to compare patterns of Negro bias on a variety of measures The results of Study I indicated that positive Negro prejudice was more likely when stimulus persons at the positive personality level were compared The results of Study II indicated that dogmatism and rigidity and attitudes associated with authoritarianism are negatively related to positive prejudice Dimensions of formality of relationships and antisubordination of Negroes were useful in understanding positive prejudice. The relevance of the results to the belief theory of prejudice are discussed.