African American college students' conceptualizations and emotional reactions to the N-word: A vignette study

Abstract

One-hundred-and-sixty-six African American college students completed a paper-and-pencil survey designed to examine students??? level of acceptance of both forms (nigga and nigger) of the n-word based on a vignette. Additionally, participants were also asked about their general understanding of both forms of the n-word, the frequency of their personal use, the frequency in which they observe, and their emotional reactions to use of both forms of the n-word. Results indicated that on average, men used the words nigga and nigger more often than women. Although participants used the word nigger considerably less than the word nigga, they conceptualized the words similarly as evidenced in both open-ended and quantitative data. Overwhelmingly, participants indicated that it was not acceptable to use either word in public; certain contexts, though, were identified in which either word was acceptable, such as an educational context. Additionally, participants??? levels of acceptance indicated that the race of the speaker mattered more in their level of acceptance than the actual form of the n-word