Date of Conferral
2021
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Kimberley Cox
Abstract
Appropriated slurs are refurbished forms of derogatory terms that originate from an outgroup but are adapted by the target group as ingroup terms with specific contextual and application norms. However, the use of appropriated slurs is often debated within the appropriating social group. Within the Black American community, one side of the argument views appropriated slurs as empowering while the other side holds that the underlying slur in its appropriated form causes harm to the integrity of the Black American culture and psyche. Recent survey research supports the perspective that appropriated slurs may have some social benefits; however, social science research has not yet examined how appropriated slurs affect cognition or behaviors. Therefore, the current study addressed this gap by examining how exposure to appropriated slurs affects stereotype activation and academic task performance within the context of the stereotype threat model. In a posttest-only with control group research design, 2x2 ANOVA models were used to compare the mean differences of the dependent variables (stereotype activation and academic performance task) along two independent variables (exposure or no exposure to the selected appropriated slur and racial identity) in 118 Black American adults. The results suggest that appropriated slurs had no effect on the components of stereotype threat. The results have implications for positive social change such that they provide a launching point for further research on the complexity and effects of appropriated slurs.
Recommended Citation
Guthrie, Charles Mason, "The Effects of Exposure to Appropriated Slurs on Stereotype Threat" (2021). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 10388.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/10388
