r hearing that introduction, the participant wrote the letter, filled out some questionnaires, and, finally, was given a chance to take some anti-discrimination flyers out of a folder. The experimenter left the room—so that the volunteer wouldn’t feel obligated to take more flyers than they wanted to—then later counted the remaining flyers to see how many the volunteer had taken.
People who believed there was a high chance of success took more flyers, evidence that they were willing to take more action to fight racism. These people also had more positive attitudes toward African Americans. Interestingly, the researchers also found that white participants’ guilt about how their group benefits from inequality wasn’t bad; instead, it was inspiring them to action. But participants only felt guilty if they believed that they could be efficacious in fighting institutional racism. Participants who felt low efficacy to make a difference rejected feelings of guilt and, consequently, exhibited less positive racial attitudes and less engagement in antidiscrimination action. The next step, Stewart says, is to incorporate this sense of efficacy into diversity training programs, to get people out there and acting