Racial groups hold genuine divergent goals of liking versus respect in cross-racial contact

Evidence

Relatedly, people of different races and ethnicities may have divergent goals in initial interactions, which can be particularly important for understanding how racial anxiety can manifest in commonplace occurrences. Researchers in the United States asked White, Black, Latino, and Asian college students whether being liked or respected was more important in an initial interaction (Bergseiker et al., 2010). A majority of Black and Latino students responded that being respected was more important while a majority of White and Asian students answered that being liked was more important. These divergent goals emerged behaviorally when, a few weeks later, samegroup and cross-group interactions were coded. The researchers found that the White students displayed warmth (to the point of being ingratiating) while Black and Latino students displayed seriousness and agency. The differences in affect resulted in shorter and less successful interactions—the displays of warmth did not convey respect and the seriousness was likely read as not reciprocating the warmth and thus not liking the person. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1373

Categorization

• XREF: Supports the reader’s question about whether professed egalitarian intent (White warmth) diverges from what minority counterparts actually measure as respect — mirrors the conviction-vs-measured-bias gap. — connects to: Cross-racial cooperation can succeed despite divergent motives and interests — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The Women’s…, 425
• ADDENDUM: Illuminates class/identity signaling dynamics akin to how dress or decorum reads differently across groups — the warmth-no-respect misread parallels misread codes in ‘Complaints About Immodesty.’
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 1373