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The Hidden Prejudice in Selection: A Research Investigation on Skin Color Bias
Author(s) -
Harrison Matthew S.,
Thomas Kecia M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00433.x
Subject(s) - prejudice (legal term) , psychology , social psychology , affirmative action , salient , skin color , tone (literature) , racism , racial bias , selection (genetic algorithm) , sociology , gender studies , political science , law , linguistics , philosophy , artificial intelligence , computer science
In this era of affirmative action, racial discrimination in the workplace has been studied widely. A common negligence of these studies is that they disregard the subject of skin‐tone stratification, and present an analysis of discrimination based on treatment of Blacks and Whites (both as collective units); thereby overlooking a prevalent issue that has long existed in western culture—colorism. This study examined the influence of colorism on job selection, and discovered a significant preferential difference among Black applicants based on their skin complexion. The findings suggest that skin tone plays a considerable role in the favorability of a Black applicant; indicating that skin color is more salient and regarded more highly than one's educational background and prior work experience.