Authors
Student Authors:
Sarah S. Kramer '17, Gettysburg College
Kaitlin Lewin '19, Gettysburg College
Allison Romano '20, Gettysburg College
Faculty Co-Author:
Brian Meier, Department of Psychology
Document Type
Article
Date of Creation
12-5-2019
Department 1
Psychology
Abstract
The shooter bias effect reveals that individuals are quicker to “shoot” armed Black (vs. White) men and slower to “not shoot” unarmed Black (vs. White) men in a computer task. In three studies (N = 386), we examined whether being observed would reduce this effect because of social desirability concerns. Participants completed a “shooting” task with or without a camera/live observer supposedly recording behavior. Cameras were strapped to participants’ heads (Studies 1a/1b) and pointed at them (Study 1b). In Study 2, a researcher observed participants complete the task while “filming” them with a smartphone. We replicated the shooter bias, but observation only reduced the effect in Study 2. These results reveal that being observed can reduce the shooter bias effect.
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Kramer, Sarah S., Kaitlin M. Lewin, Allison S. Romano, and Brian P. Meier. “I Saw That: Being Observed Reduces Race-Based Shoot Decisions.” Social Psychology 51, no. 3 (2020): 141–48. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000402.
Required Publisher's Statement
This version of the article may not completely replicate the final authoritative version published in Social Psychology at https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000402. It is not the version of record and is therefore not suitable for citation. Please do not copy or cite without the permission of the author(s).
Included in
Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons, Social Psychology Commons