Poster #179 - Linking Verbal and Nonverbal Modes of Transmission to Specific Message Content

• In Event: 1-005 - Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Section - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Integrative Statement

In the study of ethnic and racial socialization, only limited research has investigated the expression dimension (verbal versus nonverbal) of modes of transmission (MOT) in relation to ethnic versus racial message content. In earlier analyses we found evidence that (1) ethnic socialization is related to but distinct from racial socialization and (2) that ethnic socialization more often occurs through nonverbal mechanisms, whereas racial socialization occurs more often through verbal mechanisms. In the current study, we linked the coding of verbal versus nonverbal MOT to message content data that was previously coded at the subcategory level. This data revealed more nuanced patterns in the associations between message content (ethnic versus racial) and the expression dimension of MOT (verbal versus nonverbal).
The study included 55 self-identified African American high school students who participated in individual, semi-structured interviews on the topic of ethnic and racial socialization. Adolescents ranged from 15 to 19 years old (M=16.8) and were 72% female. The female guardians’ education levels indicated working class (42%) and middle class (58%) families. 49% of the adolescents were from single-parent households, 32% from two-parent homes, and 20% from other living arrangements. The coding for both message content and MOT was supported by reliability coding results.
When MOT coding for verbal (49%) or nonverbal (51%) expression (See right side of Table 1) was connected to subcategory coding of ethnic (42%) and racial (58%) socialization messages (left side of Table 1), we found that the anticipated patterns were only carried by some types of socialization messages. For ethnic socialization, three subcategories were ethnic group identification (16% of all messages), ethnic markers (15%) and ethnic family relations (11%). The expected pattern that ethnic socialization would occur more commonly by nonverbal than verbal MOT was especially evident for the cultural markers as well as the ethnic family relations subcategories (middle column of Table 1). However, for ethnic group identity, MOT was equally likely to occur through verbal or nonverbal means.
For racial socialization, three subcategories included racial group identity (14% of all messages), racism awareness (32%) and diversity awareness (12%). The expectation that racial socialization would occur more commonly through verbal mechanisms was supported for the subcategory of racial group identity and also for racism awareness messages. However, diversity awareness messages occurred similarly by both verbal and nonverbal means. See Table 1 for a summary of all the content analysis coding. See Figure 1 for the patterns of verbal and nonverbal MOT by message content.
The findings suggest nuanced pattern in the linkages between message content (racial and ethnic) and MOT expression (verbal and nonverbal). The data will be interpreted to consider why some subcategories of both racial and ethnic message content fit with expected patterns of MOT expression, whereas other subcategories do not. This study furthers understanding of ethnic and racial socialization processes by (1) examining the expression (verbal, nonverbal) dimension of MOT; (2) examining nonverbal MOT, which are underrepresented in research on ethnic and racial socialization; and, (3) connecting MOT with specific types of message content.

Authors

• Susie Lamborn, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  Presenting Author

• Julie Paasch-Anderson, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  Non-Presenting Author