Stereotypes and Racial Images —White, Black and Yellow—

MUTUAL and self-perceptions of the racial images of the Whites, the Blacks and the Japanese Americans are studied among adult, college-student and school-children age-groups in California. For adults and college students, the Katz and Braly's adjective list was used, in which subjects were asked to choose five traits out of 84 to describe each racial group. Children were instructed to describe racial images in their own words. The hypothesis that the Whites occupying the dominant position are endowed with positive traits and the minority groups with negative traits was only partially supported. Another hypothese concerning the minority acceptance of the negative image ascribed by the dominant group, which was true in the 1930's, was invaild in this study. The Whites were portrayed as materialistic and pleasure-loving; the Blacks were musical, aggressive and straightforward; and the Japanese, industrious, ambitious, loyal to family and quiet.