Date of Award
1-1-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Psychology
First Advisor
Joseph D. Wellman
Second Advisor
Carrie V. Smith
Third Advisor
Grace Rivera
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Social psychological understanding of race relations has not kept up with the growing diversity within the United States. Presently, limited psychological research is available from racial minorities’ perspective of how they perceive each other, and how they perceive White Americans. Using the racial position model as a guide, the current research aimed to parse out how racial minorities perceive each other. The study focused on Latino and Asian Americans because of their positionality in the model; they have a shared stigma of being perceived as perpetual foreigners but do not share the same privileges when it comes to their socioeconomic status. Across two studies, the racial position model is conceptually replicated. Extending the model, Asian Americans (Study 1) and Latino Americans (Study 2) reported that their group is perceived as more foreign when they read about their group being stereotyped as forever foreigners, suggesting that these perceptions may be fluid. In addition, interesting patterns of intergroup perception emerged. Asian Americans consistently felt the most similar to and positive about Latino Americans, followed by White Americans, and then Black Americans. Yet, they also felt the most threatened by White Americans. Latino Americans, on the other hand, exhibited more varied perceptions. They felt that they were most similar to Black Americans but felt most positive toward Asian Americans. They reported feeling the most threatened by White Americans. Finally, foreignness and status salience differently predicted Latino and Asian Americans’ support of social policies. When reading about their group’s socioeconomic success, Asian Americans were less supportive of policies that challenge the status quo. Latino Americans’ supportiveness was similar across conditions. Taken together, my results suggest that the perception of other racial groups is nuanced among racial minorities. Although foreign and status saliences did not predict participants’ cross-race perceptions for some outcomes, the patterns of how Latino and Asian Americans perceive other groups are consistent with the racial position model. Implications of my results and future directions are discussed. My results provide insight for psychologists, policymakers, and social movement leaders to understand when and why racial minorities may coalesce as allies or fight as foes.
Recommended Citation
Nguyen, Tuong-Vy Cac, "Ties That Bind and Those That Don't: The Relationship Between Asian and Latino Americans Through The Racial Position Model" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2964.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2964