OTHER TOPICS OF INTEREST

 

A.  RELIGION AND PREJUDICE

 

Social psychologists have long studied the role that religion plays in shaping attitudes toward gays and lesbians.  Recent research suggests that insofar as people accept orthodox Christian beliefs they have more positive attitudes toward homosexuals (Ford, VanValey, Brignall and Macaluso, 2009; Kirkpatrick, 1993; Laythe, Finkel, Bringle and Kirkpatrick, 2002).  Interestingly, acceptance of orthodox Christian beliefs has not been associated with positive attitudes toward homosexuality as a behavior or lifestyle. Christians seem to be able to separate their attitudes toward homosexual people from their attitudes toward homosexuality (Wenger & Daniels, 2006). 

     

Our research suggests that insofar as orthodox Christian beliefs are strongly internalized, they serve as a personal moral standard that disallows prejudice toward homosexual people, but which does not preclude a view of homosexuality as immoral. Thus, our research contributes to the literature on religion and prejudice by providing a theory for understanding of how the content of one’s religious beliefs—specifically Christian beliefs—regulate attitudes and behavior toward homosexuals.    

 

B.  UNINTENTIONAL RACISM AND STEREOTYPE THREAT IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

 

John Habel and Thomas E. Ford of the Department of Psychology at Western Carolina University have been awarded a $73,000 Dropout Prevention Grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The project is funded from January 2009 through August 2010.  Habel and Ford have developed a program designed to help P-12 educators create educational environments sensitive to the unique experiences of minority students who might otherwise be subjected to unintentional racism and the subtle effects of stereotypes of intellectual inferiority.  They will administer their program to the faculty and staff of Isaac Dickson Elementary School in Asheville, North Carolina and to the members of the community the school serves.  Isaac Dickson Elementary is one of five elementary magnet schools in Asheville. http://www.asheville.k12.nc.us/sites/dic/default.aspx

 

Teaching P-12 educators about the not-so-obvious debilitating effects of unintentional racism and stereotypes, as well as methods of intervention designed to counter those effects, should accomplish the general goals of greater student learning, achievement and retention.  Our program addresses “at risk environments” rather than “at risk kids.”  Our approach is innovative and unique in that it focuses on changing the culture of the school through interventions that directly target educators rather than behaviors of a particular group of students.