Examination of Implicit Attitudes Toward Native American Sports Mascots

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine implicit biases toward Native American mascots. Participants in the study were 79 Caucasian students enrolled in introductory psychology courses at Oklahoma State University. Each participant individually completed a demographic questionnaire and the Implicit Association Test (IAT). A univariate analysis of variance on the IAT effect was conducted to determine if negative implicit bias was demonstrated toward Native American mascots compared to Caucasian mascots. Results indicated that Caucasian participants elicited negative implicit bias toward Native American mascots compared to Caucasian mascots. The present data cast some doubt on the argument that Native mascots are positive images intended to honor Native Americans. Future studies are needed to examine the extent to which these implicit negative attitudes may be associated with other social cognitive processes and forms of racial prejudice.