Description:

Title: “Robotic Asians”: A Mechanistic Dehumanization Perspective on Anti-Asian Bias in the U.S.

Abstract: Psychology has documented several stereotypes that explain why biases against Asian Americans can occur, such as being seen as foreign and high achieving. Drawing on history, ethnic studies, and dehumanization research, my research team argues that Asians in the U.S. are dehumanized due to being likened to machines and robots—that is, they are subjected to “mechanistic dehumanization.” In this talk, I will introduce an integrative theoretical framework of racial positioning of Asians in the U.S. Then, I will present a series of pre-registered studies that examined racial group differences in both social and self-perceptions of mechanistic dehumanization and their potential consequences in the workplace. Further, I will discuss the emerging themes from a qualitative interview study of Asian worker informants' lived experiences of such dehumanization. Together, these mixed-method findings help triangulate the subtle and often unique workplace inequities experienced by Asians, underscoring the importance for organizations and people to see the humanity in others for a more inclusive society.