The influence of immigration terminology on attribution and empathy

Abstract

We report the findings of an experimental study that tested the contributions of semiotic and critical discourse studies on immigration. Two-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were conducted to examine the effects of immigration terminology (illegal immigrant, spouse of green card holder, and parent of U.S. citizen child) on measures of attribution and empathy. Our experiment revealed a statistically significant difference in attribution. Participants who received a narrative prompt with the term ‘illegal immigrant’ evaluated the character's situation with internal attribution, and thus deserving of any negative outcomes, such as racial profiling, deportation, and separation from one's family. This finding is consistent with studies that have reported the concrete effects of immigrant labels on public opinion and policy, as (im)migrants become scapegoats for macro-structural forces. Our experiment did not reveal an effect on empathy, demonstrating the complicated symbolic and material effects produced by immigration discourse.