Researchers in diverse fields such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and geography have extensively researched push and pull factors that lead to migrations (Castles et al., 2014) as well as the political and economic consequences that migrations have on both sending and receiving countries (Golash-Boza, 2015). However, relatively little research is published on whether markers of racial categorization affect the social classification of immigrants, their legal status, and the relationship between support for immigration policies and specific patterns of categorization. In the current research, I investigated whether social categorizations of individuals as undocumented immigrants depend on phenotypes (i.e., skin tone), and the link between these categorizations and the support for stringent immigration policies. Taken together, the findings of this research suggest that people with Brown (vs White or Black) skin are more likely to be perceived as undocumented immigrants and that such a categorization is associated with increased support for stringent immigration policies. Practical and political implications for judgements influenced by the social categorization based on skin tone are discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p>Researchers in diverse fields such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and geography have extensively researched push and pull factors that lead to migrations (Castles et al., 2014) as well as the political and economic consequences that migrations have on both sending and receiving countries (Golash-Boza, 2015). However, relatively little research is published on whether markers of racial categorization affect the social classification of immigrants, their legal status, and the relationship between support for immigration policies and specific patterns of categorization. In the current research, I investigated whether social categorizations of individuals as undocumented immigrants depend on phenotypes (i.e., skin tone), and the link between these categorizations and the support for stringent immigration policies. Taken together, the findings of this research suggest that people with <em>Brown</em> (vs White or Black) skin are more likely to be perceived as undocumented immigrants and that such a categorization is associated with increased support for stringent immigration policies. Practical and political implications for judgements influenced by the social categorization based on skin tone are discussed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Chirco, Patrizia"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Experimental Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Tonya M. Buchanan","Mary K. Radeke","Richard Marsicano"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:37:54Z","subjects":["race","skin tone","immigration","social categorization","policy","Multicultural Psychology","Personality and Social Contexts","Psychology","Social Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1477","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Tonya M. Buchanan","Mary K. Radeke","Richard Marsicano"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Chirco, Patrizia"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-02-02T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Experimental Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["race","skin tone","immigration","social categorization","policy","Multicultural Psychology","Personality and Social Contexts","Psychology","Social Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1477"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Researchers in diverse fields such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and geography have extensively researched push and pull factors that lead to migrations (Castles et al., 2014) as well as the political and economic consequences that migrations have on both sending and receiving countries (Golash-Boza, 2015). However, relatively little research is published on whether markers of racial categorization affect the social classification of immigrants, their legal status, and the relationship between support for immigration policies and specific patterns of categorization. In the current research, I investigated whether social categorizations of individuals as undocumented immigrants depend on phenotypes (i.e., skin tone), and the link between these categorizations and the support for stringent immigration policies. Taken together, the findings of this research suggest that people with Brown (vs White or Black) skin are more likely to be perceived as undocumented immigrants and that such a categorization is associated with increased support for stringent immigration policies. Practical and political implications for judgements influenced by the social categorization based on skin tone are discussed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The immigrant in our head: Skin tone, social categorization, and support for policy"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Tonya M. Buchanan","Mary K. Radeke","Richard Marsicano"],"dc:creator":["Chirco, Patrizia"],"dc:date.available":["2026-02-02T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Researchers in diverse fields such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and geography have extensively researched push and pull factors that lead to migrations (Castles et al., 2014) as well as the political and economic consequences that migrations have on both sending and receiving countries (Golash-Boza, 2015). However, relatively little research is published on whether markers of racial categorization affect the social classification of immigrants, their legal status, and the relationship between support for immigration policies and specific patterns of categorization. In the current research, I investigated whether social categorizations of individuals as undocumented immigrants depend on phenotypes (i.e., skin tone), and the link between these categorizations and the support for stringent immigration policies. Taken together, the findings of this research suggest that people with Brown (vs White or Black) skin are more likely to be perceived as undocumented immigrants and that such a categorization is associated with increased support for stringent immigration policies. Practical and political implications for judgements influenced by the social categorization based on skin tone are discussed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1477"],"dc:subject":["race","skin tone","immigration","social categorization","policy","Multicultural Psychology","Personality and Social Contexts","Psychology","Social Psychology"],"dc:title":["The immigrant in our head: Skin tone, social categorization, and support for policy"],"dc:type":["Text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Experimental Psychology"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:37:54Z"}