Somebody call 911?: Temporal framing, collective memory, and metadehumanization in Black-Police relations

Joshua Cloudy, Potter, B., & Brammer, S. E. (2025). Somebody call 911?: Temporal framing, collective memory, and metadehumanization in Black-Police relations. Paper to be presented at the biennial conference of the World Communication Association, Oslo, Norway.

Abstract: This study examines whether an article framing a traumatic historical event as more recent decreases Black Americans’ likelihood of seeking police assistance through perceptions of metadehumanization. Using a two-condition (temporal framing: recent versus distant) experimental design with a sample of Black Americans (N = 120), we found no difference between conditions in the subjective perception of temporal distance and, therefore, we did not conduct further analysis of the proposed indirect relationship between temporal framing and likelihood of seeking police assistance through perceptions of metadehumanization. However, post-hoc analysis did find a significant, negative relationship between perceptions of metadehumanization and likelihood of seeking police assistance and a significant positive relationship between direct negative contact with police and perceptions of metadehumanization. These findings suggest there may be potential limitations in the ability of journalists to alter subjective perceptions of temporal distance in the face of objective information. Additionally, these findings contribute to our understanding of the potential origins and effects of the psychological mechanisms contributing to Black-Police intergroup relations in the United States.