A Semantic differential study of some white and negro adolescent attitudes

Date
1970
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Abstract
Research into connotative frames of reference using the semantic differential has been undertaken in various cultures. The present study examined semantic space and attitudinal dimensions among negro and white students in Nova Scotia by means of factor analysis. Three hundred and eighty-one students between the ages 13 to 16 wrote a semantic differential test comprising fifteen concepts and twenty-one scales. Programs were written to permit analysis of the data by computer. Factor analysis of the semantic differential scales yielded three factors of semantic space, comparable to those found by Osgood (1957) and others: Evaluative, Dynamism, and Activity. However, the scales weak--strong, powerful--powerless, fast--slow, and quiet--noisy loaded uniquely on the Evaluative dimension in this study. Six factors were found to delineate the attitudinal space of each of the four sub-groups. These factors varied for each group and indicated race and sex differences. White males placed the future as their prime concern, whereas security was most important for the white female sample. The male and female negro samples both placed personal identity as their main concern. The white female sample indicated a poor self- concept. Schools and teachers seemed to have unpleasant associations for both the white samples. White males perceived negroes as both a friend and an enemy. The white female sample made no distinction between the races. Both the negro groups appeared to view the white population as a threat to their success. The study lent some support to Osgood's theory of the universality of semantic space, particularly the Evaluative dimension.
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Bibliography: p. 68-72.
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Citation
Manos, J. (1970). A Semantic differential study of some white and negro adolescent attitudes (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/19708