If Me = Criminal and Criminal = Black, then Me = Black? A Cognitive Structure of Criminal Implicit Associations

• In Event: Implicit Social Cognitive Processes Underlying Criminal and Victim Identities: Data from Laboratory Experiments and Field Studies

Abstract

Implicit social cognition theories challenge common assumptions about the identity-related processes related to criminal experiences. Using methodology that taps into cognitive processes that occur outside of conscious awareness or control, this paper will test if criminal experiences shape and maintain cognitive associations between the self-concept, criminality, and, remarkably, Black individuals. A sample of non-Black adults from Newark, New Jersey, completed a set of Implicit Association Tests (IATs) and self-report measures that assess the interrelations among the constructs self, criminality, and Black. These data are in strike contrast with the reflexive consciousness and introspection of individuals with criminal experiences. As such, this research challenges the common narrative in criminology about the social cognition of criminals.

Authors

• Valerie Laws, Rutgers University

• Bonita Veysey, Rutgers University

• Luis M. Rivera, Rutgers University