Masters Thesis

Development and validation of the perpetration of racial microaggressions scale

Racial microaggressions are subtle insults delivered from an actor to a target due to the target's racial identity. It has been shown that racial microaggressions are damaging to the targets who experience them, and much research has focused on their experiences; however, little attention has been paid to those who commit racial microaggressions. Research about the commission of racial microaggressions is just beginning, but lacks a traditional, generalized self-report measure. Additionally, it is unknown how racial microaggression perpetration relates to other established forms or components of racism. To address these gaps in the literature I conducted 2 studies. Study 1 (« = 257) developed the Perpetration of Racial Microaggressions Scale (PRMS), a self-report explicit measurement designed to assess respondents' general likelihood of engaging in microaggressive behavior. Results of Study 1 showed that the PRMS was comprised of a single factor and possessed good internal consistency. Study 2(n = 438) replicated the factor structure and internal consistency of the PRMS and correlated this new measure with a series of other explicit measures to establish the convergent, divergent, and concurrent validity of the scale. Results of Study 2 showed that, rather than being a new phenomenon, racial microaggression commission is a simply a subtle display of well established forms of racism.

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