IS IMPLICIT PREJUDICE AGAINST BLACKS POLITICALLY CONSEQUENTIAL? EVIDENCE FROM THE AMP

<p>Recently, scholars have claimed that implicit prejudice, as measured by the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP), eroded support for Obama in the 2008 presidential election. In the present research, we reexamine the case for the contention that implicit racial prejudice as measured by the AMP has political consequences. Using three nationally representative data sets and extending the analyses of previous work, we examine associations between AMP scores and electoral behavior, candidate evaluations, and racial policy attitudes in 2008 and 2009. In contrast to previous research, we find little evidence of implicit prejudice effects. Our findings have important implications for those concerned with the political impact of implicit racial prejudice against Blacks and the AMP as a measure of implicit prejudice.</p>