I know the issue of race is a controversial one. Some argue that it is an important construct and others say that it is only a superficial characteristic. Humans certainly do have distinguishing physical characteristics common to various races. The question is, to what extent do these racial differences have any impact on who the person is. The genes for skin pigmentation do not also cause people of the same race to act similarly or share a common culture. However, skin color has been, and still is for some, a shorthand way of grouping people who are culturally different. To the extent that racial characteristics have a psychological impact, it would be due to the interaction between appearance and how those people are treated by those around them. My conclusion would be that, yes, race exists as a biological difference between groups of people (although with the shrinking world and more intermarriage, the differences are not as sharp as they once were) but race is not an important factor impacting a person's psychological makeup except in the way it interacts with how a person is treated by those who look similar or different from them. I believe that after controlling for the effects of culture and environment on behavior, there would be very little or no additional variance explained by race. I think that is probably what the text was (or should have been) trying to say about the effect of race. Of course, that does not mean that racial differences do not exist in physical features as your biology student pointed out.
Rick Dr. Richard L. Froman Psychology Department John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] phone and voice mail: (501)524-7295 http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/rfroman.html -----Original Message----- From: Rod Hetzel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 9:36 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Subject: two questions about race and culture In class today we were talking about culture, ethnicity, race, and the genetic theory of evolution. Two questions came up that I could use some help with. 1. My students had a hard time understanding the following statement in our marriage and family textbook: "From a strictly scientific perspective, then, so-called racial differences do not exist. Skin color, for example, can be defined only on a continuum, just as the colors black and white exist on a continuum, with gray in the middle and no clear-cut distinctions in between." I was able to help them understand how cultural and ethnic identity are more useful and informative concepts than race, but many students had a hard time understanding how racial characteristics "do not exist." One of my students, who is an honors biology major specializing in genetics, stated that our marriage and family textbook contradicts what she has learned in her genetics courses. Can anyone offer me some specific suggestions for making these concepts more clear to my students? 2. Our text also talks about cultural groups as being a set of people who embrace core beliefs, behaviors, values, and norms and who transmit them from one generation to the next. The text defines ethnic groups being a group of people who, based upon geographic origin, share common beliefs, behaviors, norms, etc. and that are embedded within a larger cultural group. The text gives examples of cultural groups such as Latinos, with some of the corresponding ethnic groups being Cuban Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, and Mexican Americans. Another example of a cultural group are Asian Americans, with some of the ethnic groups within this cultural group being Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Native Hawaiians, and Samoans. A question was asked in class about "cultural" differences based on gender, political ideology, or religious worldview. Would these also meet the definition of cultural group, or would they be a specific subgroup within the broader cultural group definition? Your comments on these questions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance. Rod ______________________________________________ Roderick D. Hetzel, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Psychology LeTourneau University President-Elect, Division 51 American Psychological Association Department of Psychology LeTourneau University Post Office Box 7001 2100 South Mobberly Avenue Longview, Texas 75607-7001 Office: Heath-Hardwick Hall 115 Phone: 903-233-3312 Fax: 903-233-3246 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage: http://www.letu.edu/people/rodhetzel > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 8:21 AM > To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences > Subject: student's question > > > > are you going to review and tell us what we need to focus on for the > test? > > Michael Sylvester,PhD > Daytona Beach,Florida > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
