Question

Payne (2001) gave participants a computerized task in which they first see a face and then a picture of either a gun or a tool. The task was to press one button if it was a tool and a different one if it was a gun. Unknown to the participants while they were doing the study, the faces served as a “prime” (something that starts you thinking a particular way) and half the time were of a black person and half the time of a white person. Table 2-8 shows the means and standard deviations for reaction times (time to decide if the picture is of a gun or a tool) after either a black or white prime. (In Experiment 2, participants were told to decide as fast as possible.) Explain the results to a person who has never had a course in statistics. (Be sure to explain some specific numbers as well as the general principle of the mean and standard deviation.)

Answer 1

I hope my answer to your previous question helps.

If the reaction times differ significantly with the primes, what does that suggest about our racial biases?

However, we do not do your homework for you. Thanks for asking.