Rogers & Frantz Flashcards
what can Rogers & Frantz be used for
Formation of Stereotyping
aim of Rogers & Frantz
Rogers & Frantz wanted to see if people new to Zimbabwe would adopt the stereotypes and feelings of prejudice about the local African population. test the hypothesis that in South Rhodesia (today’s Zimbabwe) the attitudes of European settlers about Africans would be inversely correlated to the amount of time that they had lived in the country
sample of Rogers & Frantz
The sample consisted of 500 White Europeans aged 20 and over, living in Rhodesia for a period of fewer than five years to over forty years. The sample was stratified according to sex, country of birth, age, and length of residence.
It was felt by the researchers that the sample was highly representative of the local white community.
procedure of Rogers & Frantz (1)
The method was a survey containing sixty-six examples of laws and customs in which White Europeans and Africans were treated differently - this included the use of racially segregated lands, lack of political representation, the use of public facilities, and cross-racial sexual relations.
procedure of Rogers & Frantz (2)
Four response choices were provided with 0 for it being very important to maintain the current system, 2 for a weak feeling of importance, 4 for a preference for discontinuing the law, and 6 for it being very important to discontinue the law. This was a Likert Scale survey but with only four options, which makes gravitation toward the mean less likely – that is, when five options are given, participants tend to choose option “3” unless they have strong opinions.
results of Rogers & Frantz (1)
The mean score of the sample was 2.45 (SD 1.12) illustrating that the majority of Europeans in Southern Rhodesia favored the retention of the status quo.
results of Rogers & Frantz (2)
Age, sex, district of residence, and income were not found to be statistically correlated with attitudes about race in any significant way. Significant statistical correlations were found between the Europeans’ country of birth, occupation, length of schooling, religious affiliation, political party preference, and length of residence in Southern Rhodesia.
The Europeans who support the status quo least strongly were those who had been living in Southern Rhodesia for fewer than five years.
results of Rogers & Frantz (3)
The scores indicate that new arrivals would inevitably change their attitudes over time.
For example, compared to newcomers, residents who were there for 5 - 9 years were 27% more conservative about maintaining segregated social and recreational facilities. It appears that the stereotypes and attitudes about the African population were integrated into the identities of the newcomers as they began to identify with their new group and accept their new “social role.”
evaluation of Rogers & Frantz (1)
First, the sample was very large and highly representative. This means that it is highly likely that this could be generalized to the remaining members of this population without any problem. However, because this is qualitative in nature, it is questionable to what extent this study could be transferred to other situations. For example, could we apply this research to people moving to the United States, the Czech Republic, or Singapore? Other research has supported the theory that we adopt the stereotypes about out-groups that are held by our in-group.
evaluation of rogers & Frantz (2)
One of the limitations of this study is that it was not longitudinal - it was cross-sectional. Therefore, the researchers cannot determine whether individuals’ attitudes changed over time.
