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Study finds Aussies more likely to target Muslims in shootout
AUSSIES who find themselves under threat are more likely to shoot at Muslims, especially if they're in a good mood, a study claims.Researchers at the University of New South Wales have found that Australians perceive Muslim-style headgear as a threat, even if they don't realise they hold any prejudice. The study, published in The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, involved 66 uni students playing a computer game in which different male and female figures appeared on a balcony. Some figures were wearing Muslim-style turbans or hijabs while others were bareheaded. Participants were asked to shoot at the targets carrying guns and spare those who were unarmed. Researchers found that those with Muslim-style headgear were more likely to be shot, even if they were carrying non-threatening items such as a They also found that while "angry" participants shot at everybody, "happy" people targeted Muslims. "It's what we predicted," said Dr Tom Denson, one of the researchers. "People in happy moods tend to rely on stereotyping more. It's like, I'm feeling good, there's no need to question things. "Muslims tend to be portrayed negatively in the media so the findings make sense, even in an otherwise tolerant western society like Australia." Dr Denson insisted the study was not about aggressive behaviour, but about automatic processes that people go through when faced with quick decisions. "These people don't really have control over their actions," he said. "They're pressing buttons really fast and forced to make split-second decisions. One thing that can help you make a split-second decision is a stereotype." Dr Denson said similar studies had been conducted in the United States, where African-Americans were more readily targeted, but that this study was the first to look at the effect a participant's mood could have on the result. To manipulate mood, students received negative, positive or neutral feedback from what they believed to be fellow students. Their happiness, anger or lack of either was then assessed by a rating scale. The study also showed that men were more likely to be targeted, a finding "consistent with other reserach findings that males are commonly seen as more threatening or dangerous". The bias to shoot was strongest for Muslim, non-Caucasian male target figures and weakest for non-Muslim, Cacausian female targets. Dr Denson did concede the addition of headgear may simply have made targets more visible and could have had a "compounding effect" on the findings. Posted by: tipper 2008-07-16 |
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