She Means Business: Investigating Name-Race Biases Towards Black American Women in the Job Market on Its Impact on The Semantic Processing of Job Prestige

Authors

Munesu H. Kuzanga, The College of WoosterFollow

Abstract

Historically, stereotypes and implicit biases have hindered employment opportunities for Black women in America, especially those with distinctive names. This study examined gendered and name-race biases in how female race names are processed within job contexts. Using electroencephalography to measure semantic processing, we investigated whether perceptions of job prestige changed when participants were primed with racially cued female names. Contrary to our hypothesis, the type of female race name did not significantly affect semantic processing or performance. However, job prestige did influence semantic processing, with participants showing lower mean N400 amplitudes in response to high-prestige jobs compared to low-prestige ones. Task focus and social desirability biases likely contributed to participants accurately assessing job prestige without prioritizing race cues. Factors like name popularity and the type of last name may have influenced the racial perception of names, explaining the absence of race's impact on the semantic processing of job prestige. We also considered how familiarity biases, influenced by participants' age and limited job market experience, might have contributed to their congruency with low-prestige jobs and incongruency with high-prestige jobs. Additionally, we applied the role congruity theory to understand why job prestige impacted semantic processing. Despite limitations such as sample size and name associations, future research should further investigate how stereotypes and implicit biases affect decision-making neural mechanisms in hiring processes.

Advisor

Herzmann, Grit

Department

Neuroscience

Recommended Citation

Kuzanga, Munesu H., "She Means Business: Investigating Name-Race Biases Towards Black American Women in the Job Market on Its Impact on The Semantic Processing of Job Prestige" (2024). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 11154.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/11154

Disciplines

Cognition and Perception | Cognitive Psychology | Cognitive Science | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Justice

Keywords

semantic processing, N400, Black women, job prestige, stereotypes, implicit bias

Publication Date

2024

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis