Utah State University
Project Title: The Longitudinal Effects of Situational Attribution Training on Racial Bias Perception of Healthcare Students
Diana Perez, a Queer Afro-Latine doctoral candidate in Data Science and Research Methodology at Utah State University, has been awarded the Innovative Student Research Grant in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by SABA. This grant will support her study, "The Longitudinal Effects of Situational Attribution Training on Racial Bias Perception of Healthcare Students." Diana’s research focuses on the efficacy and durability of Situational Attribution Training (SAT) in reducing implicit racial biases among nursing and psychology undergraduate students.
Within the scope of Relational Frame Theory (RFT), the SAT leverages relational frames by systematically reinforcing alternative, non-biased relational responses. Participants are conditioned to attribute behaviors of Black individuals to situational explanations (i.e., new relational frames) rather than dispositional traits (i.e., existing bias relational frames), thus promoting more flexible and less biased responding. This training can lead to a transformation of stimulus functions, where the emotional response to an outgroup member may shift from apprehension or fear to neutrality or empathy by changing the relational frames from dispositional to situational. By doing so, SAT aims to reduce implicit biases and aligns with the broader goal of behavior analysis to produce socially significant behavior change through systematic manipulation of environmental variables.
Perez’s research has a multifaceted approach to measure racial bias, the Person Categorization Task (PCT) and the Implicit Association Test (IAT) will be used to assess the longitudinal effects of SAT. Additionally, the Colorblind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) will be used to evaluate changes in racial colorblindness perceptions. The findings from this study will inform DEI strategies, offering evidence-based interventions that can be integrated into existing training programs, potentially leading to improved approaches to addressing implicit racial biases in healthcare settings.
Diana Perez's dedication to advancing DEI within behavior analysis and her innovative approach to tackling racial biases in healthcare make her a deserving recipient of this prestigious grant. Her work promises to make significant contributions to the understanding and reduction of implicit biases, ultimately leading to more equitable and effective healthcare practices.
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