Intergroup Interactions: Mediating Role of Behavior Regulation

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Since the momentous 1954 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court mandating racial desegregation as the law of the land, Whites and Blacks have come into increasing contact with one another. Previous research has documented the dramatic impact that individuals' attitudes and stereotypes can have on the dynamics of intergroup interactions. The majority of this work, however, has taken an "individualistic" approach, insofar as researchers study one side of the dyadic intergroup interaction. The current research takes a step beyond this approach by studying intergroup interactions from the perspective of both Whites and Blacks simultaneously. This work will focus on how Whites' concerns about appearing prejudiced, and Blacks' concerns about being the target of prejudice, shape their own and their partner's affective and cognitive outcomes during interracial interactions. Specifically, a paradoxical model of interracial interactions is proposed which predicts that Whites' and Blacks' concerns with prejudice negatively impact their own experiences in interracial interactions, but positively impact their partners' experiences. Moreover, the proposed research will examine the mediating factor of behavioral regulation in the relationship between interpersonal concerns with prejudice and affective and cognitive outcomes. It is predicted that Whites who are concerned with appearing prejudiced attempt to control their nonverbal and verbal behaviors, which is what leads to the differential impact in the dyad members' experiences. Similarly, it is predicted that Blacks who are concerned about being the target of prejudice use compensatory behavioral strategies, which lead to the differential impact in the dyad members' experiences. These studies will enrich our theoretical understanding of intergroup contact. Moreover, the research will provide information to help improve the psychological well-being of underrepresented ethnic minority groups during interpersonal interactions.