Activating the universal context of racism: Consequences for perceived discrimination and emotion

Three experiments were conducted to validate the Universal Context of Racism (UCR) and determine whether this construct influences perceived discrimination and emotions for historical targets of racism. The UCR proposes that racism is an accessible and explanatory construct that has motivational consequences for African-Americans. Experiments 1 and 2 provide evidence that the UCR is not applicable to Caucasians because they are not the targets of the racism represented in photographic stimuli used to activate the UCR. Experiment 3 demonstrates that African-Americans respond differently to stimuli purported to activate the UCR than Caucasians. Specifically, African-Americans exposed to UCR provoking stimuli are more likely to perceive discrimination and highly motivated to self-enhance or self-protect to overcome or avoid threats to self-esteem.