THE PARADOXICAL INFLUENCE OF POLICY EXPOSURE ON AFFIRMATIVE-ACTION ATTITUDES

This commentary discusses recent research on the attitudes of employee s who are affected by affirmative action to determine if societal-leve l beliefs about discrimination lend to policy endorsement among indivi duals whose career outcomes are at stake. It is suggested that policy exposure in the workplace leads to greater endorsement rather than a ' 'backlash'' against affirmative action. The mechanisms producing this effect are discussed.