{{Short description|American sociologist}} '''Richard Tracy LaPiere''' (September 5, 1899 – February 2, 1986) was a professor (and later professor emeritus) of [[sociology]] at [[Stanford University]] from 1929 to 1965.
==Early years and education== Born in [[Beloit, Wisconsin]], LaPiere obtained his [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in Economics (1926), followed by his [[Master's degree|M.A]] in Sociology (1927) and his [[Doctorate|Ph.D]] in Sociology (1930), all at Stanford University.<ref name="Obit">{{cite web|url=http://histsoc.stanford.edu/pdfmem/LaPiereR.pdf|title=Memorial Resolution - Richard T. LaPiere|publisher=Stanford University|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211015658/https://historicalsociety.stanford.edu/pdfmem/LaPiereR.pdf|archive-date=2015-12-11|url-status=dead|access-date=2009-11-05}}</ref>
==‘Attitudes vs. Actions’ article== LaPiere is best known for his 1934 article "Attitudes vs. Actions" that appeared in the journal ''[[Social Forces]]''. LaPiere spent two years traveling the [[United States]] by car with a couple of [[Chinese people|Chinese ethnicity]]. At the time there was substantial anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States, e.g., as reflected in the [[Chinese Exclusion Act]] of the late 19th Century.
During that time they visited 251 hotels and restaurants and, while LaPiere reports that some people greeting them looked curious, they were turned away only once. LaPiere concludes that positive reactions were associated with factors unrelated to the race of the couple (such as neat appearance and smiling). and his data reflect his own interpretations of what occurred at each stop.
LaPiere's language and conclusions in the paper reflect his own racial views and awareness gaps of the time. For example, he interprets curiosity as treatment "more positive than typical."
Six months after the conclusion of their travels (to provide a chance to forget their behavior), LaPiere mailed a survey to all of the businesses they visited with the question, "Will you accept members of the Chinese race in your establishment?" The available responses were "Yes", "No", and "Depends upon the circumstances". Of the 128 that responded, 92% answered No, reflecting the anti-Chinese sentiments of the time.
LaPiere also mailed a survey to a comparison group of hotels and restaurants that had not been visited, and their responses were similar.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=LaPiere|first=Richard T.|year=1934|title=Attitudes vs. Actions|jstor=2570339|journal=Social Forces|volume=13|issue=2|pages=230–237|doi=10.2307/2570339}}</ref>
The study was foundational in establishing the gap between attitudes and behaviors.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dockery|first=Terry|last2=Bedeian|first2=Arthur G.|author-link2=Arthur G. Bedeian|year=1989|title=‘Attitudes versus actions’: Lapiere's (1834) classic study revisited|url=https://www.sbp-journal.com/index.php/sbp/article/view/574|journal=Social Behavior and Personality|language=en|volume=17|issue=1|pages=9–16|doi=10.2224/sbp.1989.17.1.9|issn=1179-6391|url-access=subscription|doi-access=free}}</ref>
==Memberships and accolades== LaPiere was an elected member of [[Alpha Kappa Delta]] and the [[Sociological Research Association]], and a past president of the Pacific Sociological Association.<ref name="Obit"/> In 1941 he was awarded a [[Commonwealth Club of California#California Book Awards|California Book Award]] silver medal for his fiction work ''When the Living Strive''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commonwealthclub.org/bookawards/CABookAwardWinners_ByCategory.pdf|title=The California Book Awards Winners 1931 - 2006|access-date=2009-11-05|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620181157/http://commonwealthclub.org/bookawards/CABookAwardWinners_ByCategory.pdf|archive-date=2010-06-20}}</ref>
==Personal life== LaPiere married in 1934 and died of cancer in 1986.<ref name="Obit"/> The Department of Sociology at Stanford University's annual research award for best graduate student paper is named in LaPiere's honor.
==Selected bibliography== *''The Freudian ethic'' (1959) {{ISBN|0-8371-7543-7}} *''Collective Behavior'' (1938) {{ISBN|1-4304-8123-4}} *''Son of Han'' (1936) *''A Theory of Social Control'' (1954)
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapiere, Richard}} [[Category:People from Beloit, Wisconsin]] [[Category:Stanford University alumni]] [[Category:1899 births]] [[Category:1986 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American sociologists]]