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Abstract In several author name disambiguation studies, some ethnic name groups such as East Asian names are reported to be more difficult to disambiguate than others. This implies that disambiguation approaches might be improved if ethnic name groups are distinguished before disambiguation. We explore the potential of ethnic name partitioning by comparing performance of four machine learning algorithms trained and tested on the entire data or specifically on individual name groups. Results show that ethnicity‐based name partitioning can substantially improve disambiguation performance because the individual models are better suited for their respective name group. The improvements occur across all ethnic name groups with different magnitudes. Performance gains in predicting matched name pairs outweigh losses in predicting nonmatched pairs. Feature (e.g., coauthor name) similarities of name pairs vary across ethnic name groups. Such differences may enable the development of ethnicity‐specific feature weights to improve prediction for specific ethic name categories. These findings are observed for three labeled data with a natural distribution of problem sizes as well as one in which all ethnic name groups are controlled for the same sizes of ambiguous names. This study is expected to motive scholars to group author names based on ethnicity prior to disambiguation.
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Names Matter: Implications of Name “Whitening” for Ethnic Minority Discrimination and Well-Being
Names are important signifiers of identity, but for many ethnic minority–group members, names trigger discriminatory responses. Name anglicization (or name whitening) is one proactive response to ward off anticipated discrimination and to signal assimilation. We review evidence suggesting that name anglicization may reduce discrimination (compared with using an original ethnic name), but it burdens minority-group members and is linked to lower well-being. We suggest a solution to this dilemma: training proper pronunciation of ethnic names. We provide a model of how this simple intervention may improve interethnic interactions, signal inclusion, and reduce prejudice in both ethnic majority- and minority-group members.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1941684
- PAR ID:
- 10509092
- Publisher / Repository:
- SAGE Publications
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Current Directions in Psychological Science
- Volume:
- 33
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 0963-7214
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 220-225
- Size(s):
- p. 220-225
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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