Black and White Viewers' Perception and Recall of Occupational Characters on Television

This study examined the differences in how Black and White viewers process messages based on the race of television characters representing 5 occupations. Black and White male viewers were exposed to either 5 Black or 5 White male television characters representing 5 different occupations (i.e., lawyer, doctor, professor, engineer, and business student). Findings from 81 male Black and White college students suggest that Black viewers have better recall of Black occupational characters on television than they do White occupational characters on television. Unexpectedly, the results show evidence that both Black and White viewers' perceptions of occupational characters were positively affected by the race of the Black character. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.