ABSTRACT
Definitions and theories of racism are reviewed, and the influence of racism on the American mental health system is examined, with special attention to the effects on racial and ethnic minorities of the sociopolitical climate of the 1990s. The aims of this special section are outlined and an overview is presented of the articles, which define some of the key problems of racism and mental health, describe their scope and effects, and propose approaches to remediation as we move into the 21st century.
Subject(s)
Mental Health Services , Minority Groups , Prejudice , Delivery of Health Care , Humans , Politics , Social ClassABSTRACT
This study examined physiological response to an encounter with and touch by an unfamiliar person. Fifty-five African American (23 male, 30 female) and 51 European American (23 male, 28 female) undergraduates participated. A Black or White interactor entered the room, introduced himself or herself, checked equipment for 30 s, and then took a pulse for 30 s. Entry of the interactor resulted in increased corrugator and zygomaticus facial muscle activity (EMG), increased skin conductance (SC), and heart rate (HR) acceleration. Corrugator EMG was greater among Black subjects; White subjects responded with more zygomatic EMG and SC and greater HR acceleration. Women showed a more positive facial expression than did men. Being touched reduced EMG and HR but resulted in increased SC. White and Black males showed more HR acceleration when encountering a Black male interactor.
Subject(s)
Arousal/physiology , Black or African American/psychology , Gender Identity , Interpersonal Relations , Social Environment , White People/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Black People , Electromyography , Facial Expression , Female , Galvanic Skin Response/physiology , Heart Rate/physiology , Humans , Male , Psychophysiology , Students/psychology , Touch/physiologyABSTRACT
Recent reviews have concluded that field-independent individuals typically show learning equal or superior to that of field-dependent individuals. However, many studies supporting these conclusions have not capitalized fully on the stylistic strengths of field-dependent learners. Among 35 field-independent and 42 field-dependent undergraduates, when grade-point average was controlled, no significant differences were found in scores on an examination following an audiotaped lecture. However, field-dependent learners significantly outperformed their field-independent peers on follow-up quizzes when material was presented interactively, using examples that required social sensitivity for full appreciation. These results are discussed as supporting the importance of further study of the stylistic aspects of field dependence/independence and the narrowness of conceptualizations of individual differences when teaching.