Contemporary research confirms most but not all of Allport’s target-response predictions

Evidence

In summary, contemporary research confirms many, but not all, of Allport’s ideas about how targets respond to prejudice. As he speculated, targets of prejudice do appear to develop feelings of insecurity, facilitating such experiences as stereotype threat and attributional ambiguity. Contrary to Allport, however, there is little evidence that this develops into obsessive concern with prejudice, at least for most people. Also, while research supports Allport’s idea that minority groups respond to group threats by increasing ingroup solidarity, it also supports his speculation that some people respond to the same threats by distancing themselves from their group. Finally, as Allport proposed, some targets of prejudice redouble their efforts in response to prejudice. Others, in contrast, appear to disengage their self-esteem from threatening domains and withdraw from those domains. Both individual and situational characteristics moderate these responses. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 971

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: flagged by the selector, no supporting note recorded
• QUESTION: Worth noting: Allport’s intropunitive prediction about obsessive concern was disconfirmed. Does the empirical update change how we should teach Allport’s original chapter?
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 971