Exploring the impact of Asian stereotype endorsement, multicultural counseling competence, and motivation to respond without prejudice on White therapists' clinical judgment
By: Yi-Jung Lee
Publisher: [publisher not identified]
Published: 2012
Place of publication: [New York, N.Y.?]
Language: eng
Description: People have the tendency to rely on stereotypes while making judgments due to limitations of cognitive capacity. The shifting standards model suggests that people tend to use stereotypes as a standard when they make subjective judgments about members of stereotyped groups and that they unconsciously shift their standards based on stereotypes they hold for particular groups. Researchers have found that White therapists tend to shift their standards while making clinical judgment of their clients of Color. The majority of the research to date has focused on White therapists and Black clients, while the research on White therapists and Asian clients is scant. The current study investigated whether White psychology trainees shift standards in making subjective clinical judgment based on race and residency status of a fictitious White, Asian and Asian-American clients described in a vignette. The study also examined the potential relationships among White psychology trainees' level of self-reported Asian stereotype endorsement, multicultural counseling competence, and motivation to respond without prejudice and their impact on White trainees' initial clinical judgment.

Participants included 439 (350 females, 89 males) White psychology trainees across the US. It was expected that White trainees would show less concern regarding symptom severity and a more optimistic prognosis for Asian target clients compared to a White target client. Furthermore, it was expected that White trainees would show less concern for symptom severity and a more optimistic prognosis for an Asian international student target compared to an Asian American target client. Results of an ANOVA revealed that White trainees did show less concern for symptom severity and more optimistic prognosis for an Asian international target client compared to a White target client. However, the results showed no difference between the ratings of symptom severity and prognosis for an Asian international student versus an Asian American student target client. For ratings of prognosis, regression analyses identified interaction effects between target client race and Asian competence stereotype endorsement, and also between target client race and participants' age.

For ratings of symptom severity, no interaction effects were found. However for White trainees who responded to Asian international student target client there was a main effect for multicultural awareness on ratings of symptom severity. Similarly, for White trainees who responded to the Asian American target client vignette, main effects were found for multicultural awareness and Asian competence stereotype endorsement on ratings of symptom severity.
Notes: Department: Counseling and Clinical Psychology.

Thesis advisor: George V. Gushue.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Columbia University, 2012.