Examining the effects of humanization and racial identity on judgments of incivility and justice

Abstract

This study examined the effects of target race, humanization and racial identity on ratings of incivility and justice of uncivil workplace interactions, by drawing on social identity, self-categorization, dehumanization, and selective incivility theories. One hundred and one undergraduate White participants were analyzed. I manipulated the target’s race within-subjects (Chinese vs. White) and humanization of targets between subjects. I expected participants would judge incivility against the White (ingroup) target as more uncivil and less just compared to the Chinese (outgroup) target, while humanization of the Chinese target would counter this effect for Whites with high racial identity strength. I found a significant effect of target race on justice and fairness, where mistreatment against the Chinese target was rated as less just/fair. Judgments of incivility were moderated by ingroup ties, and manipulated variables such as counterbalancing order and scenario content of the vignettes. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed, as well as future research directions.