Race, Stereotype Threat, and Paraverbal Cues to Deception in Police Encounters

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

One of the most frequent complaints African Americans have about the criminal justice system is bias-based policing—the use of race as a basis for law enforcement decisions. We examined whether stereotype threat theory explains why police officers might be more likely to suspect Blacks than Whites of committing crimes in the first place. Specifically, we used a staged encounter with a confederate security officer to examine the degree to which Blacks (but not Whites) are concerned about being judged and treated unfairly by police-like figures due to the cultural stereotype about race and crime. We also tested whether such stereotype threat might translate into paraverbal behaviors (i.e., characteristics of speech unrelated to content) that police commonly perceive as deceptive (e.g., higher voice pitch). As predicted, Blacks reported experiencing more stereotype threat than Whites in the staged encounter. Unexpectedly, however, more stereotype threat was associated with lower maximum voice pitch, shorter speech duration, and less frequent voice breaks. Considered in light of police professionals’ beliefs about cues to deception, the research suggests that police should perceive Blacks as less deceptive than Whites. Potential explanations for this contradiction and directions for future research will be offered.

Authors

• Cynthia J. Najdowski, University at Albany, SUNY

• Meagen M. Hildebrand, University at Albany, SUNY

• Jordan J. Dolgos, University at Albany, SUNY