SBP-Creating a Diverse Society that Works: Investigating the Role of Social Identity Threat in Interracial Interactions

不同种族群体成员之间缺乏积极的接触，这是贯穿美国历史的一个重大社会问题。尽管美国的种族和民族多样性正在增长，但种族间的接触仍然相对较少。积极的种族间接触很重要，因为它与减少偏见和歧视以及更多地获得智力、社会和经济资本有关。然而，研究表明，当跨种族接触发生时，多数种族和少数种族的成员都充满了焦虑和不适。此外，人们在跨种族交往中的焦虑和不适与追求未来跨种族交往的兴趣下降有关。本研究考察了两个因素——互动伙伴的友谊网络的种族多样性和他或她为互动所采取的目标——如何影响人们在跨种族互动中的体验。这项研究提出了一个新颖的、基于理论的模型，来解释这些因素是如何独立地和集体地影响人们在进行跨种族互动时的舒适和焦虑，以及他们参与未来跨种族互动的愿望。虽然之前的研究考察了种族多样性（相对于同质性）的友谊网络如何影响种族间的互动期望，但这项工作考察了友谊网络在另一个情境因素的背景下的作用——人们的互动目标。五项实验研究将测试互动伙伴的种族友谊网络（种族多样化或种族同质化）和合作伙伴的互动目标（学习或表现目标）是否影响少数民族和白人个体的互动体验。特别是，我们将测量黑人、西班牙裔和白人大学生在互动之前和互动过程中的社会身份威胁、焦虑和回避行为的经历，以及他们对未来跨种族互动的兴趣。假设具有多元种族朋友网络的互动伙伴在互动前设定学习目标，会减少被试的社会身份威胁、焦虑和回避行为，促进更积极的互动。因此，该研究将测试在互动环境中人们目标的转变是否可以减少身份威胁，为积极的跨种族接触打开大门。即使在没有多样化的友谊网络的情况下。本研究通过对多数族群和少数族群成员视角的探索，拓宽了我们对跨种族接触和社会认同威胁的理解，为现有的跨种族接触和社会认同威胁的研究提供了新的理论和实证贡献。此外，本研究将为如何更好地构建种族间互动提供实践指导，以促进少数民族和多数群体成员更顺畅的交流和更大的享受。当我们进入一个日益全球化和群体间接触的时代，当我们努力保持我们在国内和国际上的竞争力时，这种理解是必不可少的。作为有色人种的教员，这两个pi都致力于扩大科学的多样性，从而为来自弱势群体和代表性不足背景的研究生和本科生提供榜样和导师，这些学生将参与研究成果的规划、执行、传播和出版。

The lack of positive contact between members of different racial groups has constituted a major social problem throughout American history. Even though racial and ethic diversity in the United States is growing, interracial contact remains relatively rare. Positive interracial contact is important because it has been linked to reductions in prejudice and discrimination and to greater access to intellectual, social and economic capital. When interracial contact occurs, however, research has demonstrated that it is rife with anxiety and discomfort for both racial majority and minority group members. Furthermore, people's anxiety and discomfort during interracial contact has been associated with decreased interest in pursuing future interracial contact. The present research examines how two factors - the racial diversity of an interaction partner's friendship network and the goals that he or she adopts for the interaction - influence people's experiences during interracial interactions. This research proposes a novel, theoretically based model for how these factors independently and collectively influence people's comfort and anxiety when engaged in interracial interactions and their desire to engage in future interracial interactions. While previous research has examined how racially diverse (vs. homogenous) friendship networks affects interracial interaction expectations, this work examines the role of friendship networks in the context of another situational factor - people's goals for the interaction. Five experimental studies will test whether an interaction partner's racial friendship network (racially diverse or racial homogeneous) and the partner's goals for the interaction (learning or performance goals) influence ethnic minority and White individuals' interaction experiences. In particular, we will measure Black, Hispanic and White college students' experiences of social identity threat, anxiety, and avoidant behavior prior to and during the interaction, as well as their interest in engaging in future interracial interactions. It is hypothesized that an interaction partner who has a racially diverse friend network and who also adopts a learning goal prior to the interaction will reduce participants' social identity threat, anxiety and avoidance behavior, and will foster a more positive interaction. Thus the research will test whether shifts in people's goals within the interaction context can reduce identity threat, opening the door for positive interracial contact?even in the absence of a diverse friendship network. By exploring the perspectives of majority and minority group members, this research will provide novel theoretical and empirical contributions to the existing literatures on interracial contact and social identity threat by broadening our understanding of the challenges faced by people engaged in interracial contact. Moreover, this research will provide practical guidance on how to better structure interracial interactions to facilitate smoother exchanges and greater enjoyment for both minority and majority group members. This understanding is essential as we enter an age of increased globalization and intergroup contact and as we strive to maintain our competitiveness both at home and internationally. As faculty of color, both PIs are committed to broadening diversity with the sciences and thus serve as role models and mentors for graduate and undergraduate students from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds that will be involved in the planning, execution, dissemination, and publication of the research findings.