Abstract
Sixty-four white undergraduates were instructed to learn who influences whom in eight hypothetical factory work groups, varying in racial distribution and transitivity. Transitive structures were learned more easily than nontransitive. Contrary to prediction, pro-Negro Ss were poor at learning Negro-dominated structures, especially when the structure was not transitive, and learned white-dominated structures very well when they were transitive. Pro-white Ss generally learned better than pro-Negro Ss. Pro-Negro Ss may be more anxious than pro-white, which may interfere with learning complex nontransitive structures.
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This research was supported by Grant M4164 from the National Institute of Mental Health.
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Lewit, D.W., Shanley, P.J. Prejudice and the learning of biracial influence structures. Psychon Sci 17, 93–95 (1969). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336463
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336463