Original Article
Open to Diversity Openness to Experience Predicts Beliefs in Multiculturalism and Colorblindness Through Perspective Taking David J. Sparkman, Scott Eidelman, Aubrey R. Dueweke, Mikenna S. Marin, and Belkis Dominguez Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
Abstract: The present research examines the influence of personality on ideologies about diversity in society. In two studies (N = 668), we test whether Openness to Experience predicts beliefs in multiculturalism and colorblindness, and whether these relationships are mediated by perspective-taking tendencies. In Study 1, Openness positively predicted multiculturalism but negatively predicted colorblindness through ethnic perspective taking – findings that were independent of empathy, age, gender, and race/ethnicity. In Study 2, we attempted to replicate and extend our findings by using different measures of multiculturalism and colorblindness and a more general, interpersonal operationalization of perspective taking. Results indicate Openness positively predicted both multiculturalism and colorblindness through interpersonal perspective taking (also independent of age, gender, and race/ethnicity), suggesting the pattern of findings varied as a function of perspective-taking type. Implications for the complexity of the Openness dimension and future research directions are discussed. Keywords: Openness to Experience, perspective taking, multiculturalism, colorblindness, diversity ideologies
In the decades since the construction and validation of the Openness to Experience personality dimension, we have learned much about the influence of Openness on aesthetic and social experiences, including an appreciation for art, music, and mystery, varied interpersonal interactions, liberal and progressive values, and tolerant, non-prejudiced attitudes (McCrae, 1996; McCrae & Costa, 1997). But in a review of Openness and its social correlates, McCrae and Sutin (2009) called for more research into the association between Openness and prejudice, saying, “social psychologists have overlooked one of the key determinants in one of their most studied phenomena” (p. 266). In the years since, research has shown a reliable and negative relationship between Openness and prejudice across a range of racial, ethnic, and sexual minority groups (for meta-analytic evidence, see Sibley & Duckitt, 2008; cf. Brandt, Chambers, Crawford, Wetherell, & Reyna, 2015). Though such research has expanded our understanding of the relationship between Openness and prejudiced attitudes, we know comparatively little about whether and how Openness influences one’s perception or recognition of the racial, ethnic, or cultural group membership of others. Do those high in Openness believe in recognizing and appreciating the diverse group membership of others (multiculturalism), or ignoring and minimizing it for the sake of commonality (colorblindness)? This was the aim of the present work. Ó 2018 Hogrefe Publishing
We test whether Openness predicts multiculturalism or colorblindness (or both), and examine whether these associations are mediated by individual differences in perspective taking.
Openness to Experience and Diversity Ideologies Openness is conceptualized as an intrapsychic personality dimension describing individuals who are creative, imaginative, insatiably curious, unconventional, and broadminded (Costa & McCrae, 1992; McCrae, 1996). Historically, Openness was thought to represent a factor initially termed Culture (Norman, 1963; Tupes & Christal, 1961/1992), although not in the typical sense of the word. In fact, the Culture factor of openness largely meant cultured, or being sophisticated, intellectual, liberal in thought or education, and critical of accepted norms and values (McCrae & Costa, 1997; Sparkman, in press). Despite this overlap between Openness to Experience and being cultured (e.g., see Xu, Mar, & Peterson, 2013), there are also clear links between the Openness dimension and aspects of Culture. In the present work, we reinvestigate these links. Multiculturalism is a diversity ideology reflecting beliefs about how to achieve harmonious intergroup relations in Journal of Individual Differences (2019), 40(1), 1–12 https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000270
