According to Gaertner and Dovidio, when does aversive racism affect behavior?

Aversive racism refers to the subtle and often unconscious biases that can lead individuals to discriminate against others, especially in situations where they want to appear non-prejudiced. Gaertner and Dovidio propose that aversive racism tends to surface particularly in ambiguous or weak normative contexts. This is because in these types of situations, individuals might not have clear guidelines on how to behave, which allows their implicit biases to influence their decisions and actions without the constraints that would be present in more structured environments.

In highly clear situations with strong social norms, individuals typically adhere to those norms, which can suppress biased behavior. Likewise, when individuals are consciously aware of their biases, they often make a greater effort to counteract those biases, further limiting the potential for discriminatory behavior. In overtly prejudicial environments, the blatant nature of the prejudice often prompts individuals to either conform to those biases or openly reject them, making it less likely for aversive racism to play a role. Thus, it is in ambiguous situations where there is a lack of defined expectations for behavior that aversive racism is most likely to affect how individuals act.