MSU study indicates prejudice in women
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During their highest levels of fertility, women feel more threatened by men, particularly those from differing backgrounds, according to a recent study conducted by MSU psychological researchers.
After assistant psychology professor Carlos Navarrete finished a study in which Caucasian women tended to be more biased against black men during stages of their menstrual cycle, he began to wonder if his findings were extendable across other group contexts.
With the help of graduate student Melissa McDonald, Navarrete and his team of researchers began conducting case studies of 337 women in an attempt to gain greater perspective on women’s prejudices.
“Our research attempts to research prejudice from an evolutionary perspective,” she said. “I think it provides some preliminary evidence that women may be equipped with psychological systems to protect their reproductive choice and, as a by-product of this choice, it may produce racial prejudice in part.”
In the first of the two studies, women reported their menstrual cycles and then went through a series of implicit tests in which they were asked to categorize images of black men as “physical” and Caucasian men as “mental” then alternating the categories and going through the test again, McDonald said.
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Whichever classification took longer for the participant to classify under the specified category represented a bias against men of that racial group.
The second study divided participants into groups by color, such as red and blue, and then had them complete the same series of implicit tests, replacing race with color groups.
Tellingly, the biases presented in the study of racial groups also were present among the color groups, demonstrating an underlying instinct to protect against outside groups regardless of race, McDonald said.
“(Prejudice) is extremely pervasive in modern society,” she said. “It’s extremely difficult to eradicate prejudice because it might be part of our biology.”
Kinesiology senior Aubrey Jabour said she isn’t aware of being prejudiced against men of differing races, but said it might be something she doesn’t recognize.
“I could see where that would be something that has evolved with us, but I don’t think we’re as aware of it today,” Jabour said.
The study hasn’t produced sufficient information to offer a solution in gender relations, but Navarrete said a greater understanding of biological dysfunction is valuable.
“We live together in this world and we’re separated into different groups for better or worse,” he said. “Understanding the things that affect (prejudice) is pretty important.”
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What??
(07/19/11 1:34pm)Report
“Whichever classification took longer for the participant to classify under the specified category represented a bias against men of that racial group.”
Uhhh… maybe i’m just not understanding but how in the world is this some objective measurement of bias? It’s hard to understand what the study did from this description but if you have to initially classify one group some way and then switch it seems likely that it would take longer to reclassify them than working from a blank slate. Regardless, that’s a rather bold claim to make given this seems a rather weak link for “proving bias”.
kyle
(07/20/11 8:18pm)Report
What, so women are more “racist” when at a period of high fertility? You needed a study to “show” this?
It makes sense, its freaking logic, people – A woman is going to go for the best mate, the mate that she perceives is a good genetic match and will take care of her babies the best. The choice is obviously someone of the same race.
I’d be interested to see this correlated to race – Would a black woman be more likely to go with a white man, knowing that he is much more capable of supporting young, and much less likely to leave her once she has young? This would be interesting.
Depressing...
(07/20/11 11:37pm)Report
Please, for all that’s holy i hope you’re being sarcastic Kyle. While I despise people playing the race card all the time when it’s often not warranted whatsoever, your comments, which are blatant and overtly racist remind me that sadly, views like this still exist after all….
Kyle
(07/21/11 9:30am)Report
@Depressing…
Views like this? My “views” are based off of statistics. The government publishes them. Are you calling these FACTS racist?
I’m sorry, but take your fuzzy feel-good we-are-all-equally-deservant-of-everything attitude and stick it where the sun don’t shine. People like YOU make me (and other hard working, tax-paying americans like me) SICK TO OUR STOMACHS.
Go back to your hole, and believe your lies.
Lucasta
(07/22/11 6:28pm)Report
If the State News is going to report on such a problematic article, it would do well to lead off with the fact that evolutionary psychology is regarded as a highly problematic field of study by many in the scientific community. Also, a more thorough explanation of the study would’ve been nice, as would a link to the study (published in 2009, which isn’t particularly “recent”), which is located here: http://www.dianafleischman.com/navarreteracebias.pdf
This “study” reveals nothing except the cultural biases of 77 white women. The study excluded black women because they only had 10 “eligible” participants. Apparently no other women of any other race were included in the study. So with only 77 participants, all white, all between the ages of 18-22, the study concludes that all women everywhere become racist during ovulation, and that they can’t help it, because it’s part of their biological makeup.
While I completely agree with Dr. Navarrete that “Understanding the things that affect (prejudice) is pretty important,” both the study and the SN article fall sadly short. Not only is this study utterly offensive, but the SN’s uncritical reportage on this topic has the effect of promoting racist and sexist stereotypes about women and menstruation. Example: the quote from one woman (could only one woman be found?) who seemingly has no credentials to address this topic, other than having a uterus. She isn’t aware of being racist, but thinks the study might be true. The effect of this is to implicitly promote the study’s findings, which is highly suspect.