This document presents a synthesis of research and theories used as background for a study designed to identify racist behaviors and to observe change in racist behaviors resulting from an intervention. The first chapter defines racism and discusses problems in creating a paradigm for the study of behavioral change. The second chapter contains a review of research literature on racism, attitude assessment, social attitudes, and opinion change. In the third chapter, assumptions and theories on which the research model is based are discussed. These include cultural factors, the eco-system, and the search for behavioral indicators. The historical background and belief systems related to racism are examined in the fourth chapter in the context of the framework of the study. A bibliography of over 300 items is appended, along with a descriptive outline of the intervention, a slide tape presentation entitled "Return to the Source," and a selected classified bibliography on African-American history. (FG)