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Study Sees an Obama Effect as Lifting Black Test-Takers
New York Times ^ | January 22, 2009 | Sam Dillon

Posted on 01/23/2009 7:42:40 AM PST by reaganaut1

...

[R]esearchers have documented what they call an Obama effect, showing that a performance gap between African-Americans and whites on a 20-question test administered before Mr. Obama’s nomination all but disappeared when the exam was administered after his acceptance speech and again after the presidential election.

The inspiring role model that Mr. Obama projected helped blacks overcome anxieties about racial stereotypes that had been shown, in earlier research, to lower the test-taking proficiency of African-Americans, the researchers conclude in a report summarizing their results.

“Obama is obviously inspirational, but we wondered whether he would contribute to an improvement in something as important as black test-taking,” said Ray Friedman, a management professor at Vanderbilt University, one of the study’s three authors. “We were skeptical that we would find any effect, but our results surprised us.”

The study has not yet undergone peer review, and two academics who read it on Thursday said they would be interested to see if other researchers would be able to replicate its results.

Dr. Friedman and his fellow researchers, David M. Marx, a professor of social psychology at San Diego State University, and Sei Jin Ko, a visiting professor in management and organizations at Northwestern, have submitted their study for review to The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Dr. Friedman said.

“It’s a very small sample, but certainly a provocative study,” said Ronald F. Ferguson, a Harvard professor who studies the factors that have affected the achievement gap between white and nonwhite students, which shows up on nearly every standardized test. “There is a certainly a theoretical foundation and some empirical support for the proposition that Obama’s election could increase the sense of competence among African-Americans, and it could reduce the anxiety associated with taking difficult test questions.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: achievementgap; blacks; cultofzero; praisebetozero; zeroworship
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To: reaganaut1

Obama is like Global Warming. He has the power to effect everything.


21 posted on 01/23/2009 7:57:06 AM PST by Hacklehead (Liberalism is the art of taking what works, breaking it, and then blaming conservatives.)
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To: reaganaut1
If merely electing a black president could make blacks "act white" in terms of academic performance, crime, and family stability

There might actually be something to that. In all my years in factories working with blacks, I've found that the peer pressure to avoid selling out to whitey can be pretty effective.

Years ago there was a black line worker in the bindery I worked at. He was a smart kid with plenty of potential so I asked my boss if I could begin training the kid for my job. It would have nearly tripled his wages and he was a bright kid.

I started training him but noticed that a lot of other blacks in the shop harassed him by calling him Uncle Tom and "my boy". Finally it just got to be too much and he said he didn't want to do the job. He explained "I've gotta live in the same neighborhood with those guys".
22 posted on 01/23/2009 7:57:23 AM PST by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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To: reaganaut1

Bad news for the NFL and NBA if true.


23 posted on 01/23/2009 7:58:41 AM PST by metalcor
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One of the executive orders signed yesterday made the White House a “Grill-Free Zone”...


24 posted on 01/23/2009 7:59:29 AM PST by D-fendr (Deus non alligatur sacramentis sed nos alligamur.)
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To: John Semmens

Sure this isn’t one of yours? :)


25 posted on 01/23/2009 8:06:11 AM PST by Tijeras_Slim
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To: D-fendr

Cough cough Bull crap.


26 posted on 01/23/2009 8:07:38 AM PST by EQAndyBuzz ("Control the information, you control the people.")
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To: reaganaut1

The Question I have had all along: What if we had elected a black Republican? Would we have the same level of excitement?


27 posted on 01/23/2009 8:24:32 AM PST by CharlieOK1 (Don't blame me, I voted for Sarah)
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To: reaganaut1

Makes sense to me-after all, the South Koreans, Chinese, and Indians who came here did terribly academically, financially, etc. until they had a President who “looked like them”

/s


28 posted on 01/23/2009 8:25:39 AM PST by Mac from Cleveland (Joe Biden behind a microphone is like Ted Kennedy behind a steering wheel)
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To: Mac from Cleveland

My wife and I are Indian. Freepers had better support Bobby Jindal, so that my children have HOPE.

/s


29 posted on 01/23/2009 8:27:56 AM PST by reaganaut1
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To: reaganaut1

Whatever good Mr. Obama brings to blacks because he is black will soon be lost because of his policies. On the other hand, if Mr. Obama causes young, black people to rise above needing government’s help, if he inspires them to succeed on their own, they will be better off forever. But somehow I doubt any good will come from Mr. Obama’s Socialist happy dreams.


30 posted on 01/23/2009 8:29:58 AM PST by pallis
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To: Tallguy

The bell curve story comes to mind when it comes to black test scores..


31 posted on 01/23/2009 8:48:06 AM PST by Vaduz
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To: Tallguy

The bell curve story comes to mind when it comes to black test scores.


32 posted on 01/23/2009 8:49:14 AM PST by Vaduz
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To: autumnraine

I hope so too, but when you live making excuses your whole life, you aren’t likely to change. Face it, no one is successful all the time. If your habit is to blame every failure on someone else, you will continue to do that. On the other hand, if you look at failure as a learning process, you will eventually succeed.


33 posted on 01/23/2009 9:02:52 AM PST by brytlea (You can fool enough of the people enough of the time.)
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To: reaganaut1

Total BS!


34 posted on 01/23/2009 9:16:00 AM PST by Reflex ((same socialist crapola different day))
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To: reaganaut1
What a shock.

Ray Friedman Political Contributions

35 posted on 01/23/2009 9:18:24 AM PST by Madame Dufarge
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To: brytlea

That is exactly right Brytlea. When something happens, if the first you do is look around and say “Whose fault is this?” you are never going to fix anything because sometimes the fault lies in yourself.

Sadly, I see too many people (can you say frivolous lawsuits???) make that mistake of looking around to figure point instead of fixing something they could have done better.


36 posted on 01/23/2009 9:25:02 AM PST by autumnraine
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To: reaganaut1

Of course scores will improve. Especially since they dumb down the tests. I guess that this means that, maybe, 31% will graduate rather than 30% graduating from High School?


37 posted on 01/23/2009 9:28:01 AM PST by RC2
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To: reaganaut1

I can’t stop fainting.


38 posted on 01/23/2009 9:48:32 AM PST by Gator113 ("Noli nothis permittere te terere.")
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To: StAntKnee

The Messiah has instantly increased the I.Q.’s
of blacks. I’m impressed...

But this is all a sham. A 20 question test does not certify anything.


39 posted on 01/23/2009 9:56:40 AM PST by ChiMark
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To: reaganaut1

This is disgusting. Black people are not some mindless “mass” that moves based on a “Dear Leader”.


40 posted on 01/23/2009 10:15:18 AM PST by Clock King (Radical Conservatives, arise!)
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