Some social psychological influences on the linguistic performance of black teenagers∗

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Abstract
Black teenagers viewed a series of drawings depicting verbal encounters between two figures. These drawings were administered by either a black or a white experimenter and were accompanied by dialogue and instructions presented in either standard English or black dialect. Transcriptions of subjects’ responses were rated on a set of evaluative dimensions by both experienced nonprofessional (probation officers) and inexperienced professional (English teachers) judges. Subjects’ responses to black dialect were substantially longer and were given more favorable ratings than their responses to standard English. In general, experienced nonprofessionals gave more favorable ratings to subjects’ responses than did inexperienced professionals. These latter judges in turn gave more favorable ratings to responses to drawings accompanied by standard English when these drawings portrayed situations in which English dialogue was appropriate than when they did not. Results provide evidence for a “difference” hypothesis and against a deficit interpretation of black dialect.