FINAL SENIOR SEMINAR PROPOSAL

Running head: THE EFFECT OF VALUES SYSTEMS ON ATTITUDES TOWARDS INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE O’Brien 1

THE EFFECT OF VALUES SYSTEMS ON ATTITUDES TOWARDS INTERRACIAL

MARRIAGE

Margaret O’Brien

Christopher Newport University

Key Words: interracial marriage, assimilation theory, intersectionality, value system

Word Count: 3,701

________________________________________This research was supported by Christopher Newport University’s Department of Sociology. I also received many helpful comments over the course of this project from Jennifer McLeer, Caroline Pitarque, TJ Albertson, Alexandra Sahagun, and many of my undergraduate student colleagues. This work was conducted at Christopher Newport University.Direct correspondence to: Margaret O’Brien, Department of Sociology, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia, 23606. Email: [email protected]

THE EFFECT OF VALUES SYSTEMS ON ATTITUDES TOWARDS INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE O’Brien 2

The Effect of Values Systems on Attitudes toward Interracial Marriage

Tensions between racial groups have long dictated the inner-most workings of the United

States, from large-scale government to micro interactions between individual people. These

issues have been highlighted in the history of our country particularly when interracial marriage

is the topic of discussion. There has been a huge jump in interracial marriages, but reported

attitudes are not in alignment with the statistics (Lewis Jr. and Ford-Robertson 2010:406)

Individual and group values systems may speak to a larger issue at hand, and may indicate a

racial separation between people on a deeper level than many might realize. Combining the

impact that values systems have on opinions towards interracial marriage could section off

people into groups not previously considered. If segregated groups realize this there could be

major consequences, not only on the smaller social scale but on the larger as well.

If the phenomenon of interracial marriage could be studied with social values systems as

a mediating variable, it might lead to greater sociological insight of the success rate of

assimilation of minorities into the United States. To better understand why reported favorable

attitudes towards interracial marriage are not in alignment with current rates, individuals’

attitudes towards the subject must be addressed first (Djamba and Kimuna 2014:529).

Understanding an individual’s, and, by extension, their families’ values systems, could provide a

strong base for better understanding of groups that reject hierarchical thinking, leading to more

thorough knowledge of intersectionality (Collins 1998:77). Assimilation theory and related

concepts has been supported by a number of researchers, beginning with analysis of frequencies

of interracial marriage. There has been a rise in the rate of interracial marriages in the United

States between the 1980s and 2006, from 651,000 to 2,274,000, further supporting assimilation

theory (Lewis Jr. et.al 2010:406). These numbers are low compared to reported acceptance of


interracial marriage by the American public. However, this type of research will play a key role

in encouraging assimilation via interracial marriage. Once the sociological community can

establish a reliable bank of information concerning society’s attitudes towards interracial

marriage, we can make further progress to dismantle social hierarchies. This is becoming

increasingly more relevant with mass shootings where Black American victims are involved, the

effects of which are resonating with the entire country, though they may be indirect. Analysis

may lead to more successful social, political, and legal intervention in terms of racism and

related crimes.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Researchers have found similar results in regards to support for assimilation theory,

developed later in Theoretical Perspectives. There has been a dissolving of the conceptual color

line between Black Americans and White Americans (Rocquemore 2002:485). This erosion

results in a change in the physical color line between Black and White Americans (Costly 1999;

Rocquemore 2002; Djamba et. al 2014; Osuji 2014; Blau, Blum and Schwartz 1982; Qian and

Lichter 2007; Messner and South 1986; Rosenfeld and Kim 2005; Garcia, Lewis Jr. and Ford-

Robertson 2015; Lewis Jr. et. al 2010). There has been a multitude of studies published using

assimilation theory, but there have not been an equal number of studies done concerning marital

information and attitudes from more general social science research (Lewis Jr. et. al 2010:406).

Assimilation theory has a plethora of research to support it, with findings supporting the

claim that group boundaries have weakened and intergroup social distance has declined. Similar

research suggests that social association will depend on opportunities for social contacts, and that

the effects also vary by the form of association (Messner et. al 1986). If the forms of association

and opportunities can be changed, we can further change perceived social hierarchies. In tandem


with this finding, other research also suggests that Black and White Americans are beginning to

accept each other as social equals due to weakening group boundaries (Qian et. al 2007).

Most of the past research on interracial marriage has focused on three sociological

perspectives: status-case exchange, traditional assimilation, and cultural pluralism. Lewis Jr. and

Ford-Robertson suggest that although black-white marriages are thought to be the most frequent

type of interracial marriages, they have actually been found to be the least frequent, making up

0.3% of all marriages in the United States. Supplementary studies also observed a rise in

interracial marriage between the 1960s and 2010. In 1960, interracial marriages comprised 0.4%

of all marriages, and increased to 7% in 2010 – a more than fifteen-times increase in 50 years

(Garcia et. al 2015:200). This may be attributed to changing social boundaries or to a shift in

social values, and can only be discovered through further research.

A limited number of studies have been conducted on attitudes towards interracial

marriage. Attitudes towards interracial marriage and related behavior patterns within the United

States were explored, and found that “while there have been some dramatic shifts in racially

patterned attitudes and behaviors across all groups, barriers to assimilation persist, and non-

Blacks engage in a greater degree of social closure,” (Garcia et. al 2015:200). This has been the

primary result found by other researchers, but auxiliary results contradict the standard of

findings: they found that white women favored interracial marriage over black women (Paset et.

al 1991). Costly found similar results, suggesting that white women in interracial relationships

with black men are more in favor of interracial marriage; this is due to their awareness of their

“whiteness” and white privilege (1999).

In the research phase, no studies were found to have studied attitudes towards interracial

marriage in conjunction with political or religious values systems, much less general values


systems. The recent shift of American values from being more conservative to liberal may be

used as a predictor to foresee various social problems once this research is conducted. The

experimental vignette will be conducted similarly to the attitudinal studies discussed above, but a

new variable will be introduced: the values system continuum (see Appendix H). The creation of

the continuum will allow for the placement of participants in order to standardize scores, and

allow for subsequent analysis against their answers to the study questions.

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

New Assimilation Theory

Milton Gordon developed assimilation theory while studying rates of immigration to

America (Gordon 1961:265). There was an understanding of “’Nordic’ and ‘Aryan’ racial

superiority,” (Gordon 1961:265); American citizens were newly exposed to the idea of

immigration since their departure from England. Outsiders were not welcomed into the society

without offering some sort of exchange in order to be accepted, and so began the base for

assimilation theory. In order to succeed, the minority group typically provides some service to

the majority, due to their inferior status, thus fueling the assimilation process (Gordon 1961:265).

Gordon makes it clear that there is a divergence in types of assimilation: behavioral and

structural. Structural assimilation occurs when immigrants and their descendants blend into the

host culture’s institutions, social groups, and other general organizations, while behavioral

assimilation is when the immigrant groups adopts the host community’s culture (Gordon

1961:279). If these processes happen on a large enough scale, Gordon says that a high rate of

intermarriage is imminent. Initially, first generation immigrants feel no need or desire to

assimilate themselves into the host country; they are content to live by their cultural practices

(Gordon 1961:279). However, the next generation regards themselves as Americans, and so they


feel a pull to engage in American culture and social groups. They venture out of their immigrant

communities, thus exposing themselves to different races and social classes (Gordon 1961:279).

Blau’s theory of social structure that he develops in his book Inequality and

Heterogeneity has also been discussed (Messner et. al 1986). Like Gordon, Blau focuses on

social integration consequences that occur due to the social structure; this theory has been

continually applied to such phenomena as interracial marriage. He claims that the degree to

which people associate with others different from themselves depends on their mutual proximity

(Messner et. al 1986:1410). The closer a group is to another, physically and personally, the more

likely it will be for them to have either a cordial or conflictual relationship.

Studies discussed here utilize Alba and Nee’s new assimilation theory, published in 2003.

It builds upon the classical assimilation theory developed by Gordon. Alba and Nee honed in on

the effects of classification changes in the U.S. Census on rates of intermarriage and

heterogeneity. First, they acknowledged the United States’ celebration of being a melting pot

nation, but contrary to classical assimilation theory, they assert that cultural assimilation is

instead influenced by both the majority and the minority groups; unlike classical theorists, they

believe assimilation happens without any real changes to the social boundary (Qian et. al

2007:70). This theory assumes that the assimilation of minorities in America was inevitable and

bound to happen without acknowledging that certain groups might have had a harder time with

this process due to physical differences like darker hair, skin color, and things of this nature

(Qian et. al 2007).

Feminist Standpoint Theory

Standpoint theory claims that you cannot have full knowledge of society unless you

occupy a place in it (Appelrouth and Edles 2012:567). Where an individual was raised, when


they were raised, who raised them, and how they were raised has massive effects on an

individual’s values and morals. One cannot fully understand the world from another’s position

because others view the world from different perspectives due to their standpoint (Appelrouth et.

al 2012:567).

Patricia Hill Collins has expanded on this theory. Following her assessment, she has now

included race and gender as specific descriptors in her analysis of intersectionality (Appelrouth

et. al 2012:567). She brings into this discussion DuBois’ ideas on various social issues. He saw

different descriptors of African Americans as oppressors that put them into hierarchies that

controlled their access to abstract things like power, property, and status (Collins 2000:42). As

the values of individuals, and therefore society, change, the severity of the social consequences

for the minority group fluctuates. With the recent fluctuation of values, there has been a change

in the color line, defined as cultural elements that act as a segregator between people of different

races. This new change in the color line will affect outside-race-exposure, and therefore will

affect interracial marriage rates profoundly (Appelrouth et. al 2012).

The current study will be studying the effects of an individual’s value system on their

attitudes towards interracial marriage. These theories will be used in the research to see if the

same patterns previously discussed hold true for wider politically and socially motivated groups,

in terms of their attitudes towards interracial marriage. Once the participants’ attitudes can be

collected, evaluated and quantified, research can move on to analysis and establishment of

support for assimilation and feminist standpoint theory.

HYPOTHESES

The purpose of this study will be to determine whether the following hypotheses are true:

(1) If an individual has a conservative value system, then they will be more likely to have


negative attitudes towards interracial marriage; and (2) Individuals who have a conservative

value system, and are exposed to conditions involving an interracial couple, will respond with a

negative attitude towards the relationship. These are following the assumption of the theories

previously discussed, that an individual’s standpoint in society will affect their behavioral and

cultural choices in the future. Their standpoint is affected by the stimuli that surround them, and

the things they learn in life and deem to be the most important, making values systems a crucial

variable that needs to be analyzed in conjunction with attitudes towards interracial marriage.

It is worth noting that the participants’ values systems, and therefore standpoint in

society, determine how they will answer the questions following the hypothetical situations. Past

research on assimilation and standpoint theories has determined that the extent to which a person

is exposed to others of an outside race, and those who have similar or different values systems,

will have an affect their attitudes toward and perceptions of various things. Since it has not been

extensively done, it is important to conduct a study that will directly involve a person’s

categorized value system and see if there is a statistically significant effect on their attitudes

towards interracial marriage.

METHODOLOGY

Construction and Categorization

The current study will be conducted as an experimental vignette. Questions concerning

participants’ political and value systems will act as the independent variable, and their responses

to the study questions will act as the dependent variable (see Appendices A-F). Once the vignette

is constructed and completed, there will be six hypothetical situations. Participants will be

presented with either one of two manipulated stories, or one of four control stories. The stories

containing the manipulated variable include one of the two following couples: (1) Jordan as an


African American male, and Sam as a Caucasian female; or (2) Jordan as an African American

female, and Sam as a Caucasian male. The stories containing the control variable include one of

the four following couples: (1) Jordan as a Caucasian male, and Sam as a Caucasian female; (2)

Jordan as a Caucasian female, and Sam as a Caucasian male; (3) Jordan as an African American

male, Sam as an African American female; or (4) Jordan as an African American female, and

Sam as an African American male. Participants will be presented with one of these six couples

and the same questions following the situation.

The current study will be categorized as a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) due to

the presence of both at least two manipulations and one control. In this vignette, there will be

four control relationships and two experimental relationships; these are listed above and

illustrated by the condition chart (see Appendix G). Race will be crossed with gender to create

the characters presented to participants. This ensures that the only changing variable relevant to

the research question is race, eliminating other explanations for a difference in participants’

answers.

IRB Considerations

An exempt status application will be filled out prior to completion of this study, along

with approval of a consent form and methodology. There is minimal to no risk of identification

or participants, nor is there risk of criminal or civil liability to the participants’ financial

standing, employability, or reputation. The participants will not be subjected to stress or harm,

physical, mental, emotional, or otherwise. Benefits to participants include entry upon completion

of their vignette into a raffle for one of five $10 Chipotle gift cards.

The sole registered ethical problem recognized by the IRB is a slight chance for a breach

of confidentiality in terms of the participants’ identities. Precautions will be taken to prevent this.


Vignettes and corresponding consent forms will be stored in two locked filing cabinets inside of

a locked private room on Christopher Newport University’s campus. The researcher will have

the only accessible keys to both filing cabinets and the room in which they are stored.

Administration

Upon IRB approval, vignette conditions will be assigned randomly to participants via

Random.org. Participants will be drawn non-randomly from the Christopher Newport University

student population. There will be fifteen participants per condition of the vignette, totaling 90.

These participants will be hand-chosen by the researcher, and will be assigned to a condition

number. Participants will then be assigned a time to arrive at Lewis Archer McMurran Hall on

the campus of Christopher Newport University through the front door, where there will be six

research assistants present in the lobby. There will be six rooms reserved in McMurran Hall, one

on each opposite side of the building, on each floor; there will be one room per condition.

Research assistants will be given a script to read off of once their participant arrives, who will be

called by name and led to their room up the stairs, where there will be a copy of their vignette, a

consent form, one pen, and one pencil. The research assistant will instruct the participant to

begin once the consent form is signed and dated. Upon completion, the research assistant will

lead them down the elevator and out the side doors of McMurran Hall. This will ensure that the

participants will not know the identities of the other participants. Rooms will be reserved for up

to two months in advance to ensure smooth execution over the span of two Saturdays and two

Sundays during the Spring 2016 academic semester. Following the completion of all vignettes,

the researcher and assistants will spend the following four weeks, at five hours per week,

collecting results, coding data, and running subsequent statistics. Results will then be written and

reviewed for future publication.


There will be no cost to renting the rooms in McMurran Hall. There is an incentive for

participants to take the vignette: their names will be added to a drawing for one of five $10

Chipotle gift cards, totaling $50. Indirect costs will cover such things as paper, pens, and pencils

to ensure successful production of the vignette, budgeted at $100. Research assistants will be

paid $8 an hour; each administration of the vignette should take no longer than ten minutes,

making the total running time fifteen hours. Following completion of the vignette, research

assistants will work for five hours per week for the following four weeks to complete the study.

All things considered, the total funds needed to run this study will come to a total of $1,830.

Operationalization and Statistics

The independent and dependent variables will be operationalized to fit the hypothesis that

there will be an indirect relationship between an individual’s value system and their attitude

towards interracial marriage. For questions relating to the operationalization of the independent

variable, all statements presented to participants will be tailored to be universally applicable to

politically conservative people on a five point scale, with answer choices ranging from “Agree”

to “Disagree”. For questions relating to the operationalization of the dependent variable, the

participant must determine where they fall on a seven point scale in relation to questions

concerning the hypothetical situation; answer choices will range from “Strongly Agree” to

“Strongly Disagree”. Following the independent and dependent variable questions, there will be

demographics questions. These were placed at the conclusion of the vignette to avoid priming

the participant.

There will be corresponding point values attached to each independent variable answer

choice that will be unknown to the participant (see Appendices A-F, H). Upon completion of the

vignette, the papers will be collected by the research assistant and scored appropriately. Once the


participants’ answers to the political and social questions are scored, the participant will be

placed on the Value System Points Continuum (see Appendix H) for subsequent analysis. The

purpose of the continuum is to standardize participant affiliation between “Consistently

Conservative” and “Consistently Liberal”. These scores of will function similarly to a statistical

Z-score. This will allow for statistical comparison between participants for later analysis to

determine whether or not their numerical proximity to “Consistently Conservative” will have an

effect on their attitude towards the couple presented to them in their hypothetical situation.

The initial necessary statistics that will need to be run will begin with basic descriptive

statistics. This will include sample size, frequency analysis, mean analysis, and standard

deviation analysis. Descriptive statistics will give the researcher a basic understanding of the

sample population, and will allow for easier analysis in tandem with inferential statistics.

Inferential statistics will include establishment of a Z-score and a linear regression. The Z-score

will allow for the standardization of the participants answers in the study questions section, and

each Z-score will be run against their score on the Value System Points Continuum (see

Appendix H). Once the Z-score is established, a linear regression will be done to find if there is a

pattern between those participants that scored “Mostly Conservative” or above on the continuum.

The current study is looking to see if there is indeed an indirect relationship between an

individual’s value system and their attitude towards interracial marriage. Quantifying participant

responses will allow for successful statistical analysis to see if this is indeed true.

POSSIBLE LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH

The experimental data and results of this study are only generalizable to the Christopher

Newport University student population. If future researchers want to test the generalizability of


this study to a larger population, they must re-select participants from a much larger, more

representative sample size in order to successfully generalize their results.

Future researchers might also consider renaming categories on the Value System Points

Continuum (see Appendix H). Rather than labeling categories “Conservative” versus “Liberal”,

they might consider labeling them “Traditional” versus “Progressive”. This will avoid the

politicization of various social and religious issues, as the terms “Conservative” and “Liberal”

are still associated solely with political parties and issues. Therefore, adjusting the continuum to

avoid confusion on the part of the participants is necessary for further completion and repetition

of this study. Furthermore, it may be more effective and efficient to adjust the hypotheses to state

that there will be a direct relationship, and to adjust the study questions that follow the

hypothetical situation. This will avoid confusion on part of future researchers as replication of

the study continues. Perhaps the vignette should be adjusted to instruct the participant to imagine

themselves as Sam’s parents, and adapt the statements to fit the instructions. Aligning the

structure of the statements to better fit the new hypothesis would allow for a much more linear

process.

New research might also be interested in adding various demographic variables to see if

those, such as race, gender, income, education level, and locale of upbringing, have any effect on

attitudes as well. This study controlled for such variables, but they were not directly analyzed.

CONCLUSION

The sociological information bank can only benefit from more studies that include less-

common variables in their analysis. The only downfall to this kind of research is that we as an

academic community might find more things about society that aren’t desirable. Society could be

changed for the better and could become much more accessible and free if we do not hold back


on the conversations that are hard to have. Both the majority and minority communities stand to

benefit from research that addresses difficult and controversial subjects, and the academic

community needs to be doing everything possible to make the larger society a less taboo-focused

environment.


References

Appelrouth, S.A., and Edles, L.D. 2012. Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory. 2nd

ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Blau, Peter M. 1977. “A Macrosociological Theory of Social Structure.” American Journal of

Sociology 83(1):26-54.

Blau, Peter M., Blum, Terry C., and Schwartz, Joseph E. 1982. “Heterogeneity and

Intermarriage.” American Sociological Review 47(1):45-62.

Collins, Patricia Hill. 1998. “It’s All in the Family: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Nation.”

Hypatia 13(3):62-82.

Collins, Patricia Hill. 2000. “Gender, Black Feminism, and Black Political Economy.” Annals of

the American Academy of Political and Social Science 568:41-53.

Costley, Mary Ann. 1999. “Whiteful and Whiteless: A Phenomenological Inquiry into White

Privilege Negotiation for White Women in Interracial Relationships.” Master of Arts

Dissertation, Department of Communication, Central Missouri State University,

Warrensburg.

Djamba, Yanyi K., and Kimuna, Sitawa R. 2014. “Are Americans Really in Favor of Interracial

Marriage? A Closer Look at When They Are Asked About Black-White Marriage for

Their Relatives.” Journal of Black Studies 45(6):528-544.

Garcia, Ginny E., Lewis Jr., Richard, and Ford-Robertson, Joanne. 2015. “Attitudes Regarding

Laws Limiting Black-White Marriage: A Longitudinal Analysis of Perceptions and

Related Behaviors.” Journal of Black Studies 46(2):199-217.

Gordon, Milton M. 1961. “Assimilation in America: Theory and Reality.” Daedalus 90(2):263-

285.


Lewis Jr., Richard, and Ford-Robertson, Joanne. 2010. “Understanding the Occurrence of

Interracial Marriage in the United States Through Differential Association.” Journal of

Black Studies 41(2):405-420.

Messner, Steven F., and South, Scott J. 1986. “Structural Determinants of Intergroup

Association: Interracial Marriage and Crime.” American Journal of Sociology

91(6):1409-1430.

Osuji, Chinyere. 2014. “Divergence or Convergence in the U.S. and Brazil: Understanding Race

Relations through White family reactions to Black-White interracial couples.” Qualitative

Sociology 37(1):93-115.

Paset, Pamela S., and Taylor, Ronald D. 1991. “Black and White Women’s Attitudes Toward

Interracial Marriage.” Psychological Reports 69:753-754.

Qian, Zhenchao, and Lichter, Daniel T. 2007. “Social Boundaries and Marital Assimilation:

Interpreting Trends in Racial and Ethnic Intermarriage.” American Sociological Review

72:68-94.

Rocquemore, Kerry Ann. 2002. “Negotiating the Color Line: The Gendered Process of Racial

Identity Construction among Black/White Biracial Women.” Gender and Society

16(4):485-503.

Rosenfeld, Michael J., and Kim, Byung-Soo 2005. “The Independence of Young Adults and the

Rise of Interracial and Same-Sex Unions.” American Sociological Review 70:541-562.


Appendix A

Experimental Vignette Condition 1

The following experimental vignette was utilized in the study discussed in this paper. Below is

one of six experimental conditions presented to participants, with following corresponding

questions concerning the presented hypothetical situation. Following the study questions, there

are questions concerning political beliefs, religious habits and beliefs, and demographics

questions. All questions were carefully selected and constructed to ensure a lack of bias or

suggestibility, and scales were constructed to ensure successful group analysis in conjunction

with the study questions.

Attitudes Survey

Please read the hypothetical situation printed below and then answer the questions that follow. Carefully consider your answers.

Jordan is an African American male, and he is about to meet the parents of Sam, his Caucasian girlfriend. This is the first time Sam’s parents will be meeting Jordan. They have seen no pictures of Jordan; Sam’s parents have only been told of Jordan’s character, manners and social skills.

Study Questions:

Please answer the following questions by circling the number that most closely represents your answer. Carefully consider your answers.

1. Sam’s parents will be disappointed in his/her choice to date Jordan.

1 - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - 4 - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - - - - - - - - - 6 - - - - - - - - - - 7 Strongly neutral strongly Agree disagree

2. Sam’s parents will be concerned about whether or not Jordan has a criminal record.



3. Sam’s parents will be alarmed when he/she brings Jordan home.


4. Sam will be worried about how his/her parents will react to bringing Jordan home.


5. Sam’s parents will encourage him/her to stop dating Jordan.


6. Sam’s parents will outwardly disapprove of his/her choice to date Jordan.


7. Sam’s parents do not take his/her relationship with Jordan seriously and assume it is just a fling.


Please answer the following questions as they relate to your opinions on political issues. Carefully consider your answers.

1. A fetus is not a human life, so it does not have separate individual rights.a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutral d. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree

2. I believe that the death penalty should not be abolished.a. Agreeb. Mostly Agree c. Neutral d. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree


3. It is should be illegal for the government to fund embryonic stem cell research. a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutral d. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree

4. A terminally ill person should not have the right to choose to end their life.a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutral d. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree

5. Individuals have the right to defend themselves and should be permitted to carry a firearm.a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutral d. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree

Please answer the following questions as they relate to your religious habits. Carefully consider your answers.

1. People should go to religious services consistently.a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutrald. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree

2. Religious principles play an important role in the life course decisions that I make.a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutrald. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree


3. Religious principles play an important role in my social/political policy opinions.a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutrald. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree

4. There should not be a separation between church and state.a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutrald. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree

5. Symbols of Christian heritage should not be removed from public and government spaces,a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutrald. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree

Please answer the following questions about your background.

1. What is your race?a. Whiteb. African Americanc. Asian Americand. Native American/Pacific Islandere. Hispanicf. Other

2. What is your gender?a. Maleb. Female


3. Please estimate your parents’ annual income.a. $0 - $20,000b. $20,001 - $40,000c. $40,001 - $60,000d. $60,001 - $80,000e. $80,001 - $100,000f. $100,000+

4. Please indicate your highest attained level of educationa. Elementary Schoolb. Middle Schoolc. High School Diplomad. Some Collegee. Associate’s Degreef. Bachelor’s Degreeg. Master’s Degree or higher


Appendix B









Attitudes Survey


Jordan is an African American female, and she is about to meet the parents of Sam, her Caucasian boyfriend. This is the first time Sam’s parents will be meeting Jordan. They have seen no pictures of Jordan; Sam’s parents have only been told of Jordan’s character, manners and social skills.

Study Questions:






















4. A terminally ill person should not have the right to choose to end their life.a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutrald. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree




2. Religious principles play an important role in the life course decisions that I make.a. Agreeb. Mostly Agree c. Neutrald. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree












Appendix C









Attitudes Survey


Jordan is a Caucasian male, and he is about to meet the parents of Sam, his Caucasian girlfriend. This is the first time Sam’s parents will be meeting Jordan. They have seen no pictures of Jordan; Sam’s parents have only been told of Jordan’s character, manners and social skills.

Study Questions:

Please answer the following questions by circling the number that most closely represents your answer. Carefully consider your answers.1. Sam’s parents will be disappointed in his/her choice to date Jordan.



































Appendix D









Attitudes Survey


Jordan is a Caucasian female, and she is about to meet the parents of Sam, her Caucasian boyfriend. This is the first time Sam’s parents will be meeting Jordan. They have seen no pictures of Jordan; Sam’s parents have only been told of Jordan’s character, manners and social skills.

Study Questions:





















3. It is should be illegal for the government to fund embryonic stem cell research. a. Agree b. Mostly Agreec. Neutral d. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree






3. Religious principles play an important role in my social/political policy opinions.a. Agree b. Mostly Agree c. Neutrald. Mostly Disagreee. Disagree










Appendix E









Attitudes Survey


Jordan is an African American male, and he is about to meet the parents of Sam, his African American girlfriend. This is the first time Sam’s parents will be meeting Jordan. They have seen no pictures of Jordan; Sam’s parents have only been told of Jordan’s character, manners and social skills.

Study Questions:



















2. I believe that the death penalty should not be abolished.

a. Agreeb. Mostly Agree c. Neutral d. Mostly Disagree e. Disagree


















Appendix F









Attitudes Survey


Jordan is an African American female, and she is about to meet the parents of Sam, her African American boyfriend. This is the first time Sam’s parents will be meeting Jordan. They have seen no pictures of Jordan; Sam’s parents have only been told of Jordan’s character, manners and social skills.

Study Questions:



































4. Please indicate your highest attained level of educationa. Elementary Schoolb. Middle Schoolc. High School Diplomad. Some Collegee. Associate’s Degreef. Bachelor’s Degreeg. Master’s Degree or highe


Appendix G

Condition Chart

Below is a visualization of a CRD (Completely Randomized Design), with the same-race relationships

functioning as the controls for the study. This design crosses race and gender. A condition chart serves

to help readers understand and conceptualize the layout of the larger-picture study. The sexes and

genders of the characters make up the scenarios in Appendix A through Appendix F.

JJordan

Caucasian

African American

Male Female

Caucasian Male Caucasian Female

African American Male African American Female

Sam

Male Female

Caucasian Male Caucasian FemaleCaucasian

African American Male African American FemaleAfrican American


C1: Jordan (African American male), Sam (Caucasian female)

C2: Jordan (African American female), Sam (Caucasian male)

C3: Jordan (Caucasian male), Sam (Caucasian female)

C4: Jordan (Caucasian female), Sam (Caucasian male)

C5: Jordan (African American male), Sam (African American female)

C6: Jordan (African American female), Sam (African American male)


Appendix H

Question Scoring and Values System Continuum

The scoring system below was built and written in order to place participants on a values

continuum. As participants answer according to their agreement with the statements, they earn or

lose points, moving them along the continuum between “Consistently Conservative” and

“Consistently Liberal.” Placement on the continuum will allow for subsequent analysis in

conjunction with scoring on the study questions after the hypothetical situation in the vignette.

Question Scoring

Agree = (+2) points

Mostly Agree = (+1) points

Neutral = (0) points

Mostly Disagree = (-1) points

Disagree = (-2) points

Values System Continuum

Consistently Conservative = (+20) to (+13) points

Mostly Conservative = (+12) to (+5) points

Mixed = (+4) to (-4) points

Mostly Liberal = (-5) to (-12) points

Consistently Liberal = (-13) to (-20) points

Date post:	15-Apr-2017
Category:	Documents
Upload:	margaret-obrien
View:	164 times
Download:	0 times

FINAL SENIOR SEMINAR PROPOSAL

Documents