Previous research has demonstrated that Black men are perceived to be more threatening than White men. Relatedly, public discourse suggests that respectable dress may reduce this perception. In this paper, we test whether professional attire reduces associations of threat with Black men. In three separate studies, participants completed a modified version of the Weapons Implicit Association Test (IAT). In Study 1, we tested whether Black men are associated with threat more than White men dressed in similar attire. In Study 2, we sought to test whether professional dress lessens the association between race and threat through intra-race comparisons. In Study 3, we assessed the perception of threat of Black men compared to White men when dressed in differing attire. Overall, findings indicate that participants associate Black men with threat more than White men, regardless of attire. Moreover, contrary to expectations, participants more strongly associate professional than casual dress with threat. The results have implications for public and scientific discourse regarding how contextual cues affect perceptions of Black men as threatening.

先前的研究表明，黑人男性被认为比白人男性更具威胁性。相关地，公共话语表明体面的着装可能会减少这种看法。在本文中，我们测试职业装束是否会减少与黑人男性的威胁关联。在三项独立的研究中，参与者完成了武器内隐联想测试 (IAT) 的修改版本。在研究 1 中，我们测试了黑人男性是否比穿着类似服装的白人男性更容易受到威胁。在研究 2 中，我们试图通过种族内比较来测试职业装束是否会减少种族与威胁之间的关联。在研究 3 中，我们评估了黑人男性与白人男性在穿着不同服装时对威胁的感知。总体，调查结果表明，无论着装如何，参与者都将黑人男性与威胁联系在一起，而不是白人男性。此外，与预期相反，参与者比休闲装更强烈地将职业装与威胁联系在一起。结果对关于上下文线索如何影响对黑人具有威胁性的看法的公共和科学话语具有影响。