title: "Two souls, two thoughts," two self-schemas: double consciousness can have positive academic consequences for African Americans.
abstract: African Americans can experience a double consciousness-the two-ness of being an American and an African American. The present research hypothesized that: (a) double consciousness can function as 2 self-schemas-an independent self-schema tied to mainstream American culture and an interdependent self-schema tied to African American culture, and (b) U.S. educational settings can leverage an interdependent self-schema associated with African American culture through inclusive multicultural practices to facilitate positive academic consequences. First, a pilot experiment and Studies 1 and 2 provided evidence that double consciousness can be conceptualized as 2 self-schemas. That is, African Americans shifted their behavior (e.g., cooperation) in schema-relevant ways from more independent when primed with mainstream American culture to more interdependent when primed with African American culture. Then, Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated that incorporating African American culture within a university setting enhanced African Americans' persistence and performance on academic-relevant tasks. Finally, using the Gates Millennium Scholars dataset (Cohort 1), Study 5 conceptually replicated Studies 3 and 4 and provided support for one process that underlies the observed positive academic consequences. Specifically, Study 5 provided evidence that engagement with African American culture (e.g., involvement with cultural events/groups) on college campuses makes an interdependent self-schema more salient that increases African American students' sense of academic fit and identification, and, in turn, enhances academic performance (self-reported grades) and persistence (advanced degree enrollment in a long-term follow-up). The discussion examines double consciousness as a basic psychological phenomenon and suggests the intra- and intergroup benefits of inclusive multicultural settings.
authors.affiliation: Kellogg School of Management.
authors.forename: Tiffany N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Brannon
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stanford University.
authors.forename: Hazel Rose
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Markus
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Spelman College.
authors.forename: Valerie Jones
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology*; D003243:Consciousness; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012933:Social Identification; D055815:Young Adult