Biased, aware, and threatened: Reducing bias-aware Whites' intergroup concerns through a moral affirmation

Previous research shows that White individuals who are more aware of their propensity to express subtle racial bias experience heightened interracial anxiety. We propose that this anxiety may be a result of a moral deficit, resulting from bias awareness. In the present research, we examined whether framing bias awareness as reflecting moral versus personal insight, would moderate the relation between bias awareness and the tendency to feel anxious and avoidant of interracial interactions. Specifically, we investigated whether the framing of bias awareness would influence highly bias-aware White individuals’ (a) learning and performance orientations toward an ostensible online interaction with a Black person, (b) anticipated anxiety about interracial interactions, and (c) desire for interracial contact with outgroup members. Findings suggest that by framing bias awareness as a moral asset, we can increase people’s desire to learn about interracial interaction partners, alleviate their anxiety, and increase their desire for interracial contact.