Sommers and Ellsworth (2000) Had Participants Read a Story of an Assault

Sommers and Ellsworth (2000) had participants read a story of an assault trial in which the defendant was black. Participants were more likely to think the defendant was guilty when they read that he had slapped his girlfriend and told her:

A) "You know better than to talk that way about a black man in front of his friends."
B) "You know better than to talk that way about a man in front of his friends."
C) "A white woman shouldn't treat a man like that."
D) "A black woman shouldn't treat a man like that."