Skin tone-based stereotyping with Asian targets: Exploring possible mechanisms

Research on skin tone bias (i.e., bias against members of the same racial group with different skin tones) has been conducted mostly with Black/White targets. We tested skin tone bias with East Asian (Korean) targets and investigated its possible mechanisms. In Study 1, comparisons of impressions between targets with different skin tones (darker-, medium-, and lighter-skinned) showed statistically significant differences in warmth, competence, morality, cleanliness, dangerousness, strongness, and social status. Study 2 revealed that lighter-skinned Koreans were perceived to be more similar to Whites (vs. Blacks or South Asians), but this perceived similarity did not explain the effect of skin tone on impression ratings. In Study 3, participants showed associations of darker (vs. lighter) skin with rural (vs. urban) areas and with blue-collar (vs. white-collar) jobs. However, these associations explained only the skin tone effects on dangerousness. This research demonstrated skin tone bias with East Asian participants and targets.