Affective and physiological responses to racism: the roles of afrocentrism and mode of presentation.

Recent experiments have examined the subjective and physiological responses of African Americans to racism using video-taped vignettes or emotional imagery. These studies reported changes in mood and increases in cardiovascular (CV) and electromyographic (EMG) activity when analogs of the stressful situations were encountered. In addition, individual differences in responses were found to be related to various personality measures. The present study examined the mood, CV and EMG responses of 60 African-American women as they encountered social situations that included blatant and more subtle forms of racism. Half of the sample viewed both vignettes while the remainder imagined them. The relationship between responses and Afrocentrism, a measure related to black identity, was examined. Significant changes in heart rate, digital blood flow and facial muscle activity in the corrugator regions resulted. The most pronounced changes occurred when blatantly racist material was encountered. Mood changes tended to be stronger when material was imagined versus viewed. In general, Afrocentricity was not related to physiological responses to the scripts, though mood responses and Afrocentricity were related in several instances. The findings indicate that CV, as well as EMG and mood responses, are sensitive to various forms of racism presented in imagery and video modes.