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Rowan University

Do we really see the world in black and white?

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not there is a double standard of punishment between Black and White Americans and to evaluate the social perceptions of Black Americans in our society. Seventy-two teachers were given surveys concerning an eleven-year-old boy with aggression. On half of the surveys, the boy's name was Tommy and on the other half of the surveys, the boy's name was Tyrone to allude to differences in race. The teachers were asked to determine the punishment for the boy's latest outburst and to answer questions concerning how they perceived the story. This allowed the researcher to evaluate a possible double standard of punishment in the severity of consequences given to the Black child in comparison to the White child. Also, by including separate questions, the researcher was able to look at the difference in social perceptions of these two groups. Results showed that there was no difference in the severity of punishment, nor were there any significant correlations in social perception with the exception of one. There was a significant relationship found between the Tyrone surveys and the perception that the father was 'in and out' due to serving jail time.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
M.A. in School Psychology
Level thesis:degree_level
Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Educational Services and Leadership
Year dc:date.available
2005

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • DeRiso, Christine
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Klanderman, John
  • Dihoff, Roberta

Subjects

dc:subject × 2

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/989
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1989

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Rowan University
Base URL
rdw.rowan.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

DeRiso, Christine. Do we really see the world in black and white?. Thesis thesis, 2005. https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/989