Quantitative vs. Qualitative Methods in Black Studies Research

Introduction to the Research Studies

This paper examines three studies relevant to Black Studies research and considers how each could be approached through both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The three studies are: Wittenbrink, Judd, and Park's (2001) investigation of spontaneous prejudice in context; Blanchard, Lilly, and Vaughan's (1991) study of normative influence on expressions of racial prejudice; and Richie et al.'s (1997) qualitative study of the career development of high-achieving African American and White women. For each study, the discussion below outlines what a quantitative approach would examine versus what a qualitative approach would seek to understand.

Wittenbrink, Judd, and Park (2001) examined whether instinctive prejudice varies according to context. Two experiments were conducted. In the first, White participants were exposed to images of Black individuals set against two alternate situations: a family barbecue (a positive context) and a gang conflict (a negative context). The second study showed Black and White faces in the context of different backgrounds, such as a church interior or a street corner. Results of both studies showed that context affected response. Reactions in the second study were measured using a sequential priming task. The authors discussed the implications of their findings for automaticity in stereotyping.

Blanchard, Lilly, and Vaughan (1991) investigated whether normative social opinion influences expressions of racism on a college campus. Researchers stopped and surveyed passing college students using the Modern Racism Scale, asking them how they would react in a hypothetical situation involving a Black student. In one experimental condition, a confederate interjected her negative opinions while some students were being surveyed. The researchers found that public expression of anti-racist opinion led others to adopt anti-racist views regardless of whether those influencing opinions were expressed by many or by a minority, and regardless of whether they were expressed publicly or privately. Conversely, overhearing others express weaker anti-racist opinions suppressed the anti-racist responses of listeners. The authors concluded that normative opinion substantially shapes the responses of the general listener.

Wittenbrink et al.: Spontaneous Prejudice in Context

Richie et al. (1997) conducted a qualitative study of the career advancement of 18 prominent Black and White American women across eight different occupational fields. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were used to elicit discussion of their experiences, and the data were analyzed using grounded methodology to generate a theoretical model. That model revolved around five main issues: (1) the core story, consisting of work behavior and attitudes; (2) socio-cultural background; (3) personal background; (4) current contextual conditions; and (5) resulting actions and consequences. Details of the interviews are presented and implications of both the study and the theoretical model are discussed.

A quantitative approach to this research question would collect data in the form of numerical breakdowns of participant responses. It would address questions such as the relative percentages of subjects who expressed various positions or exhibited various responses to the experimental situations. For example, a quantitative study might report that eighty percent of Caucasian participants exhibited prejudicial attitudes when shown images of African Americans in the gang conflict context, that thirty percent exhibited prejudicial attitudes in the family barbecue context, and that more Caucasian participants exhibited prejudicial attitudes in connection with certain contextual backgrounds than with others.

A qualitative approach to this research question would collect data in the form of statements from participants about their reactions to individuals of a different race in various contexts. Rather than focusing on the frequency of specific responses, this qualitative analysis would seek to understand the thought processes, assumptions, and fears reflected in those reactions — dimensions that numerical quantification does not capture. In essence, whereas the quantitative approach would reveal how prevalent prejudicial attitudes are, the qualitative approach would illuminate some of the reasons behind those patterns.

Blanchard et al.: Reducing the Expression of Racial Prejudice

A quantitative approach to this study would investigate the relative prevalence of normative influence on participants in relation to racial prejudice. For example, it would yield data such as the specific percentage of Caucasian subjects who were influenced by normative opinion in the study setting. The focus would be on understanding how common normative influence is, rather than exploring how or why the phenomenon occurs.

A qualitative approach to this study would collect data in the form of statements from participants explaining what they were thinking before, during, and after their exposure to the expressed normative opinions of the confederates. Rather than determining the relative prevalence of the phenomenon, the qualitative approach would seek to understand how exposure to normative opinion produced changes in attitude or response. This approach is well illustrated by qualitative research methods that prioritize the depth of participants' reported experiences over the breadth of measurable outcomes.