Race, Socioeconomic Status, & Interracial Impression Management Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

Prior research on interracial impression management intuits that people’s class-based stereotypes about racial groups inform how individuals present themselves during interracial interactions. For example, due to implicit associations between racial group membership and income, occupational prestige, and educational attainment (i.e., socioeconomic status; SES), White people may assume that a Black individual has low SES and present themselves as less competent towards them to appear more friendly. However, this dynamic may not hold in the workplace, where individuals often have access to explicit socioeconomic information (such as a colleague’s job role or educational background) that can contradict stereotypes about race and SES. In this dissertation, I aim to enhance the applicability of the literature on interracial impression management to the organizational context by examining how a Black individual’s SES, and whether it aligns with group stereotypes, influences how White people present themselves during interracial interactions. I first develop predictions for how, why, and towards which Black people White people engage in impression management, by incorporating theories on intergroup behavior and political psychology (Chapter 1). I then evaluate my predictions using experimental design and vignette studies (Chapter 2), followed by ostensibly real introduction scenarios (Chapter 3). Finally, I discuss the theoretical contributions to the literature on interracial impression management and discuss the practical implications of my findings in regard to promoting inclusivity for Black people in higher-status professions (Chapter 4). 

Table of Contents

Introduction.. 1

Chapter 1: Theory & Hypothesis Development.. 5

Chapter 2: Experimental Vignettes. 15

Study 1: Email Introduction Vignette. 17

Study 2: Direct Replication of Email Introduction Vignette. 28

Study 3: Letter of Encouragement Vignette. 34

Chapter 2: Experimental Vignettes Discussion. 46

Chapter 3: Ostensibly Real Online Interaction Studies. 49

Study 4: Ostensibly Real Online Profile. 50

Study 5: Ostensibly Real Online Video Introductions. 57

Chapter 4: General Discussion.. 69

Conclusion. 76

References. 77

Tables & Figures. 86

About this Dissertation

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Business
Subfield / Discipline	Organization & Management
Degree	Ph.D.
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Social Business Administration, Management Sociology, Organization Theory
Keyword	Race Sympathy Impression Management Socioeconomic Status Intergroup Relations
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Hall, Erika, Emory University Williams, Melissa, Emory University
Committee Members	Johnson, Cathryn, Emory University

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