Race terminology in the field of psychology: Acknowledging the growing multiracial population in the U.S.

Abstract

The field of psychology is coming toward a critical juncture; scholars are increasingly recognizing that race, ethnicity, and culture play important roles in their fields of study, but do not always have the language to integrate race and culture into their own work. Furthermore, common conceptions of race may systematically exclude those from multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds in favor of fixed and discrete racial categories that ultimately perpetuate white supremacy. Meanwhile, as the Multiracial population of the U.S. is growing at an unprecedented rate, psychologists need language to acknowledge this population in their studies and pursue research to advance the field's knowledge of this diverse group and its many subpopulations. In an attempt to educate psychologists across subfields and disciplines, we provide a detailed account of preferred terms related to race and ethnicity with emphasis on ways to think about and talk about Multiracial populations in the United States. While preferred terms may change across time, the aim of this article is to provide psychologists with the tools to begin nuanced and necessary discussions about how race informs their research and the populations they work with in uniform and nonstigmatizing ways. By highlighting terminology related to those of multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds, we demystify and legitimize these rapidly growing but often hidden populations. Different perspectives on various terms are provided throughout to set psychologists on the path to beginning more race-conscious conversations and scientific inquiries into the experiences of Multiracial Americans and those from other marginalized racial-ethnic groups.

“Mostly White, heterosexual couples”: Examining demographic diversity and reporting practices in relationship science research samples.

“…Race and ethnicity are socially constructed, such that what race means and who is racialized are shaped by sociohistorical, legal, and political context (e.g., Atkin et al, 2022; Haney Lopez, 2004; Smedley & Smedley, 2005). This reality makes analyses of racial/ethnic representation that collapse across disparate countries or regions often inadequate, since categories that are meaningful within one nation may have little meaning in another.…”

“…researchers should allow participants to provide information about their specific multiracial identity, as multiracial people's experiences can differ on the basis of their specific racial backgrounds (Garay & Remedios, 2021;Parker et al, 2015). When presenting race options, researchers should be clear about how they are defining the terms they present to participants, particularly when providing multiracial options, as terms like "multiracial" and "biracial" are complex and nuanced and are often used in different ways by different people (Atkin et al, 2022). Finally, we encourage researchers to be mindful of the social, political, historical, and cultural context in which they are attempting to measure race/ethnicity.…”

The Racialization of Multiracials in the United States: A Systematic Review of Empirical Measures

“…Moreover, Jackson et al (2017) urged researchers to investigate whether familial racial socialization messages varied when the caregivers of multiracial children were monoracial or multiracial. However, only two studies (Atkin et al, 2021b;Castañeda-Liles, 2012) specified whether their samples included multigenerational multiracials, or people who have at least one multiracial parent (Atkin et al, 2022). As researchers sample more racially diverse multiracial participants, we can begin to distinguish which racialization experiences are shared across multiracial individuals, and which reflect racial group-specific experiences.…”

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within Pediatric Adherence Science

“…Ongoing conversations about language should consider perspectives on various terms utilized throughout the field and implications of each. This promotes more DEI-conscious conversation and scientific inquires among research teams (e.g., Atkin et al, 2022 ). Finally, staff should be aware of issues of equity, particularly in terms of collecting adherence data.…”