Deflecting Ingroup Members' Stereotype-Confirming Behavior: Factors that Facilitate High Performance and Positive Interracial Interactions

虽然一个多元化的社会增加了积极的种族间互动的可能性，但它也增加了人们在这种互动中对他们不太熟悉的群体成员施加刻板印象的可能性。因此，在种族间的相互作用中，已经以微妙的焦虑程度为特征，目睹或与种族群体成员的陈规定型行为（即犯下“陈规定型”行为）互动可能会加剧在不同背景下经常经历的紧张。先前的研究表明，这样的经历可能会增加人们反刻板印象的动机，以反驳负面的群体刻板印象，但也可能会破坏表现，并阻碍未来的种族间接触。然而，之前的工作让我们陷入了一个僵局：在种族群体成员的刻板印象确认行为之后，是什么促成了人们在不同环境中茁壮成长的能力？人们如何应对这种情况？为了回答这些重要的问题，本研究首先调查了导致种族群体成员在种族间（与种族内）互动中目睹群体内成员的刻板印象确认行为的不同行为和社会结果的因素。它还审查了种族群体成员在这些人际交往中积极代表其群体可能承担的负担以及这种负担可能产生的心理和社会后果。四项实验性实验室研究考察了不同的条件，这些条件可能会提高少数民族的表现，并促进积极（而不是消极）的人际互动，因为少数民族看到种族群体成员在不同的环境中表现出刻板印象。这些研究评估了以下方面的程度：1)积极的跨种族接触的频率，2)与互动伙伴的人际亲密程度高与低，以及3)与高偏见与低偏见的合作伙伴的互动可以改善这种互动中的表现和人际接触。在此基础上进行了四项实验性调查研究，以探索多数和少数群体成员在遵循群体内成员的刻板印象确认行为的情况下，策略性地采取反刻板印象行为，可能会产生怎样的社会成本。具有讽刺意味的是，那些试图纠正这种情况的人可能会被同种族的成员消极地看待，而被不同种族的成员积极地看待。这项工作有可能通过提供明确的策略来改善个人的结果，并强调可能破坏这些积极结果的因素，改变我们在新的跨种族环境中理解人们行为的方式——特别是那些充满负面群体刻板印象或刻板印象确认的群体成员。也就是说，当所有种族和民族背景的个体更频繁地参与积极的跨种族互动，并积极培养跨种族友谊——即使是那些似乎缺乏平等主义价值观的人——他们可能会在跨种族互动中在情感、认知和社会上茁壮成长。此外，这些策略可能会减轻那些在试图抵消种族群体成员的刻板印象确认行为时，被激励与同种族和不同种族的同事保持积极关系的人的负担。因此，这项研究将有助于实现更大的目标，即努力创造和维持积极的群体间互动和关系，以便所有个体都能在不同的学术和社会环境中茁壮成长。最后，本研究符合美国国家科学基金会整合研究和教育的目标，并在研究过程的各个阶段纳入历史上代表性不足的人群。它将主要在斯佩尔曼学院（Spelman College）进行，这是美国历史上第一所黑人女子文理学院，它将使本科生接触到社会心理学的研究生水平的研究。学生将参与研究材料的创建和实施，以及在专业会议上，在斯佩尔曼校园和其他机构传播研究结果。

Though a diverse society increases the likelihood of positive interracial interaction, it also increases the likelihood that people will apply stereotypes to group members with whom they are less familiar during such interactions. Thus, in interracial interactions, which are already characterized by subtle levels of anxiety, witnessing or interacting with racial group members who behave stereotypically (i.e., commit "stereotype-confirming" acts) may exacerbate the strain often experienced in diverse contexts. Previous research has shown that such experiences may increase people's motivation to behave counterstereotypically to disprove negative group stereotypes, but also may undermine performance and discourage future interracial contact. This previous work, however, leaves us at an impasse: What then contributes to people's ability to thrive in diverse settings following racial group members' stereotype-confirming behavior and how do people cope in such situations? This research sets out to answer these important questions first by investigating the factors that contribute to the divergent behavioral and social outcomes experienced by racial group members who witness the stereotype-confirming behaviors of ingroup members in interracial (vs. intraracial) interactions. It also examines the burden that racial group members may carry to represent their group positively in these interpersonal interactions and the possible psychological and social consequences of this burden. Four experimental laboratory studies examine various conditions that may improve performance and facilitate a positive (rather than a negative) interpersonal interaction for ethnic minorities who witness racial group members behaving stereotypically in diverse settings. These studies assess the extent to which: 1) the frequency of positive interracial contact, 2) high vs. low interpersonal closeness with an interaction partner, and 3) interactions with a high vs. a low prejudice partner can improve performance and interpersonal contact in such interactions. Four experimental survey studies then build on this work to explore how majority and minority group members who strategically behave counterstereotypically following ingroup members' stereotype-confirming acts may incur social costs. Ironically, those attempting to rectify the situation may be viewed negatively by same-race members but positively by different-race members.This work has the potential to transform how we understand people's behavior in novel interracial contexts -- particularly those laden with negative group stereotypes or stereotype-confirming group members -- by providing clear strategies for improving individuals' outcomes and highlighting factors that stand to undermine these positive outcomes. Namely, when individuals of all racial and ethnic backgrounds engage in positive interracial interactions more frequently and actively cultivate cross-race friendships - even with those who may seem to lack egalitarian values - they are likely to thrive emotionally, cognitively, and socially in interracial interactions. Furthermore, these strategies may reduce the burden felt by those who are motivated to maintain positive relationships with both same-race and different-race associates when attempting to counteract racial group members' stereotype-confirming behavior. Thus, this research will assist in the larger goal of working to create and maintain positive intergroup interactions and relationships so that all individuals can thrive in diverse academic and social settings. Finally, this research meets the goals of NSF to integrate research and education and to include historically underrepresented populations in all stages of the research process. It will be conducted sprimarily at Spelman College, the nation's first historically Black women's Liberal Arts College, and will expose undergraduates to graduate-level research in social psychology. Students will be involved in the creation of the research materials and its implementation, as well as the dissemination of findings at professional conferences, on Spelman's campus, and at other institutions.