NCJ Number
12079
Date Published
1970
Length
148 pages
Annotation
EXAMINATION OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CONTACTS AND OF THE ATTITUDES OF BLACK CHURCH MEMBERS, BLACK POLICE, WHITE CHURCH MEMBERS AND WHITE POLICE TOWARD THE OPPOSITE RACE.
Abstract
THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONSTRUCTS, SUCH AS CONTACT AND ATTITUDINAL SCORES, ON THE ATTITUDE BEHAVIOR SCALE - BLACK/WHITE WHITE/NEGRO - LAW AND ORDER, AN INSTRUMENT WHICH MEASURES SIX LEVELS OF RACIAL ATTITUDES. ONE ASPECT OF THE STUDY DEALS WITH VALIDATION OF THIS SCALE. THREE VARIABLES (DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, AND CONTACT FACTORS) DEEMED TO BE IMPORTANT DETERMINANTS, CORRELATES, AND PREDICTORS OF ATTITUDES WERE USED IN THE STUDY. THE STUDY WAS ALSO A COMPARATIVE, USING A BLACK AND A WHITE CHURCH OF GOD CONGREGATION TO COMPARE WITH A MIDWESTERN POLICE DEPARTMENT. TWO LEVELS OF THE ATTITUDE SCALE, MORAL EVALUATION AND PERSONAL ACTION, WERE FOUND RELIABLE FOR MEASURING THE ATTITUDES OF THE FOUR RESEARCH GROUPS. SEVERAL CONCURRENT FACTORS, SUCH AS KIND OF CONTACT, CONSIDERED WITH CONTACT PER SE WERE FOUND TO BE GOOD PREDICTORS OF ATTITUDES AT ALL SIX LEVELS OF THE SCALE. ALSO THE HYPOTHESIS THAT BLACKS WOULD HAVE MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARD WHITES THAN WHITES TOWARD BLACKS WAS NOT CONFIRMED. APPENDED MATERIAL INCLUDES A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ATTITUDE QUESTIONNAIRES USED IN THE STUDY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)