Fostering Positive Interracial Interactions

该项目涉及一系列实验室研究，研究人们进行跨种族互动的动机是否会导致负面体验，以及如何改变这些动机可能有助于更积极的互动。 最近的研究发现，跨越种族和/或文化鸿沟的接触有时可能是消极的。 这些类型的互动似乎需要额外的努力来管理，因此往往会导致精神和情绪疲劳。 本项目中的研究旨在通过调查群体间互动对黑人、白色和拉丁美洲/a参与者的影响，发现减少种族间接触的潜在结果的途径。参与者（a）具有接近导向与回避导向的心态，（B）关注他们对互动的渴望（以促销为中心）而不是他们在互动中的责任（注重预防），或（c）在互动过程中，目标是发展而不是展示积极的种族态度和群体间的理解（学习而不是表现目标）。 研究人员假设，方法导向，促进重点和学习目标将提高这些互动的质量，反过来，消除干扰影响的互动对个人的认知表现和情绪wellbeing.There是越来越多的证据表明，不同的环境有广泛的社会，社会和组织的好处。 然而，事实仍然是，许多人发现这种不同的环境和接触不同种族群体的成员在认知和情感上都具有挑战性。 这项研究的结果将有助于创造和优化种族多样性环境的积极方面，通过提高这些环境的特点群体间接触经验的质量。

This project involves a series of laboratory studies that examine whether the motives that people carry into interracial interactions may contribute to negative experiences and, and how altering such motives might contribute to more positive interactions. Recent research has found that contact across racial and/or cultural divides can sometimes be negative. These types of interactions appear to require additional effort to manage, and consequently often result in mental and emotional fatigue. The research included in this project aims to discover avenues to reduce this potential outcome of interracial contact by investigating the effects of intergroup interactions on Black, White and Latino/a participants (a) with approach-oriented versus avoidance-oriented mindsets, (b) focused on their aspirations for the interaction (promotion-focused) rather than their responsibilities within the interaction (prevention-focused), or (c) with the goal to develop rather than demonstrate positive racial attitudes and intergroup understanding (learning rather than performance goals) during the interaction. The investigators hypothesize that approach-orientation, promotion focus, and learning goals will enhance the quality of these interactions and, in turn, eliminate the disrupting effects the interactions have on individuals' cognitive performance and emotional well-being.There is mounting evidence that diverse environments have widespread social, societal, and organizational benefits. Nevertheless, the fact remains that many individuals find such diverse environments and contact with members of different racial groups both cognitively and emotionally challenging. The findings of this research will aid in creating and optimizing the positive aspects of racially diverse environments by improving the quality of the intergroup contact experiences which are characteristic of these settings.