Fatim Lelenta Senior Thesis 2013

THE EFFECTS OF IMAGINED CONTACT ON INTERACTIONS 1

THE EFFECTS OF IMAGINED CONTACT ON INCREASING AND

IMPROVING INTERRACIAL INTERACTIONS

by

Fatim Lelenta

Submitted to the Board of Study of Psychology

School of Natural and Social Sciences

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Bachelor of Arts

Purchase College

State University of New York

May 2013

Accepted

______________________________, Sponsor

Linda Bastone

______________________________, Second Reader

Lynn Winters


Abstract

Imagined contact has been used to create a positive perception of an out-group member

and to increase intergroup interactions. However, the effects of imagined contact on

interracial interactions have not been examined. This study focuses on the effects of

imagined contact on anxiety, future intentions, and enjoyment of an actual interracial

interaction. It was hypothesized that minority participants who imagine a positive

interracial interaction with a White out-group member will be less anxious and will be

more willing to interact with a White out-group member than minorities who imagined an

outdoor scene. It was also hypothesized that minorities who imagined a positive

interracial interaction would enjoy an actual interracial interaction more than minorities

who imagine an outdoor scene. The results suggest that minorities who imagined a

positive interracial interaction did experience less anxiety about interacting with an out-

group member, but did not demonstrate an increase in willingness to interact.

Additionally, imagining a positive interracial interaction prior to an actual interaction did

not affect how much participants enjoyed an interaction with a White out-group member.

These findings suggest that imagined contact could prevent an increase in anxiety for

both minority and majority racial group members.


The Effects of Imagined Contact on Interracial Interactions

To improve interracial interactions, prior research has focused on the reduction of

prejudice between different racial groups (Richeson & Shelton, 2003). As cited by Crisp

and Turner (2009) Gordon Allport proposed the contact hypothesis, one of the most

influential theories for prejudice reduction. The contact hypothesis assumes that direct

contact between members of opposing groups will reduce hostility and increase positive

intergroup attitudes. According to Allport, contact between different racial groups is most

effective when these specific conditions are met: participant cooperation, common goals,

equal social status, and support from societal institutions. Since its proposal, direct

contact between groups reduces prejudice than no contact (Crisp & Turner, 2009).

While engaging in direct conversation with an out-group is found to reduce

prejudice, intergroup contact may also induce anxiety for both the dominant and target

group members. Richeson and Shelton (2003) find that interracial interactions can affect

cognitive functioning of members of a dominant racial group (White/Caucasian). Based

on this finding, Shelton (2003) investigated the thoughts and interpersonal concerns

experienced by both minority and majority group members during interracial interactions.

When examining interracial interactions, Shelton states that minority and majority group

members experience the interaction differently by bringing a set of interpersonal

concerns into social interactions. Shelton assessed how minority (Blacks) and majority

(Whites) group members’ concerns affect the dynamics of their interaction and how their

anxiety shapes each group member’s experience. In Shelton’s study, Black and White

participants were assigned to have a positive interaction with one another. Prior to the

interaction, White participants were told to try their best to not act prejudiced, whereas


Black participants were told that their partner might be prejudiced against Blacks. After

being primed, participants discussed four race-related topics and four non-race-related

topics. Participants reported their level of anxiety during the interaction and then

evaluated how much they liked their partner and the interaction. Shelton found that both

racial groups who were primed reported having higher levels of anxiety during the

interracial interaction than participants who were not primed. Shelton discusses that the

anxiety experienced by both racial groups were based on the type of concerns they were

primed with prior to the interaction. Whites were concerned about appearing prejudiced

toward Blacks, (when they are not) whereas Blacks were concerned that they would be

the targets of prejudice.

By interpreting the results of Shelton’s (2003) study, Trawalter, Richeson and

Shelton (2009) theorized that during interracial interactions, Whites are more “self-

focused” by monitoring their words and suppressing stereotypic thoughts. This

suppression makes the interaction more cognitively taxing and increases anxiety.

Conversely, Blacks are more “partner-focused” and fear they will be the target of

discrimination and as a result monitor what the out-group member says. Blacks’ concerns

also lead to increased anxiety, as they will gain a greater guardedness toward threats.

With increased anxiety levels, Whites and Blacks struggle to interact positively and are

therefore less likely to engage in future interactions with out-groups.

Studies by Shelton (2003) and Trawalter et al. (2009) demonstrate the effects of

interracial interactions on interpersonal concerns. As a result, present research has shifted

toward finding other methods to increase and improve interracial interactions but without

the consequence of placing people in stressful situations.


Other methods to increase positive attitudes towards out-groups have been

investigated. Turner and Crisp (2010) were the first to investigate the effects of imagined

contact and how it increases actual contact between different groups. Imagined contact is

found to elicit emotional and behavioral responses that are similar to real interactions by

decreasing anxiety and intergroup bias. Turner and Crisp examined whether imagined

contact could change implicit and explicit attitudes toward the elderly. Young college

students were randomly assigned to imagine either a positive interaction with an elderly

person or imagine an outdoor scene. After imagining, participants took a young-elderly

Implicit Association Test (IAT) and indicated their attitudes toward the elderly. Turner

and Crisp found that those who imagined contact with an elderly person had less implicit

bias (less preference for working with a younger or elderly person) and more positive

explicit attitudes toward the elderly than those who imagined an outdoor scene. Turner

and Crisps’ research suggests that imagined contact is effective in reducing prejudice and

changing implicit and explicit attitudes toward out-group members.

The ultimate goal of imagined contact is to improve how people behavior towards

members of other groups (Turner &West, 2012). After the effects of imagined contact on

changing attitudes were discovered, Turner and West (2012) examined how imagining a

positive interaction with an out-group could increase positive social behavior. Turner and

West proposed that imagining contact with a person who is obese prior to an actual

interaction would increase a person’s willingness to sit closer to the out-group member.

After completing the imagined task, participants were asked to grab a chair for a

discussion with a person who is obese. It was found that imagining contact with a person

who is obese increased participants’ willingness to sit closer to a person they believed


would be obese than to an unidentified stranger. The results of Tuner and West’s study

demonstrate the effects of imagined contact on decreasing social distance toward an out-

group, an important step for preparing individuals for actual contact.

Because contact between different groups increases anxiety, individuals tend to

avoid contact and further perpetuate a negative perception toward the out-group. Husnu

and Crisp (2003) theorized that elaborated imagery would enhance the effect of imagined

contact and therefore have the greatest effect on reducing anxiety. They hypothesized that

imagining an elaborated scene will enhance intentions to engage in future contact by

reducing anxiety and prejudice toward the out-group. In their study, 33 British non-

Muslim undergraduate students imagined a detailed interaction with a British-Muslim or

an outdoor scene. After imagining, participants reported their level of anxiety, attitude,

and intentions in a future interaction with the out-group. The results demonstrate that

imagining contact can enhance intentions to engage in a future interaction with an out-

group member. Husnu and Crisps’ study provided evidence that imagining contact helps

reduce anxiety and increase positive attitudes about a future interaction more than

imagining an outdoor scene. Their findings suggest that vividness and low anxiety are the

two most important components to increasing intentions.

Like Husnu and Crisp (2003), West, Holmes and Hewstone (2011) investigated

anxiety reduction in order to improve intentions to engage in a future interaction with an

out-group. West at al. focused on reducing anxiety toward a future interaction with a

person with a mental illness. They hypothesized that imagining a positive interaction with

a person with schizophrenia would reduce anxiety about a future interaction. In their

study they examined the level of anxiety between individuals who imagined a positive


interaction and those who imagined a neutral interaction with a person with

schizophrenia. The results demonstrated that imagining a positive interaction reduced

anxiety about a future interaction more than imagining a neutral interaction. Their

findings concluded that the quality of the imagined interaction (being positive or neutral)

and increasing positive attitudes are necessary components to reducing anxiety about

interacting with a highly stigmatized out-group.

Exposure therapy is a way of exposing patients to a fear-evoking situation through

the use of imagery to reduce anxiety that is associated with the fear (Britel & Crisp,

2012). Britel and Crisp sought to combine exposure therapy with imagined contact to

reduce anxiety about a future interaction with an out-group. While previous research

focused on inducing a positive imagined interaction with an out-group, Britel and Crisp

found that imagining a negative then a positive interaction is a more effective method

than only imagining a positive interaction. In their study, they hypothesized that exposing

people to a negative imagined interaction prior to the positive imagined interaction with a

person with schizophrenia will have a greater reduction of anxiety than imagining only a

positive interaction with an out-group member. Britel and Crisp hypothesized that by

adopting the psychotherapeutic principles, they could reduce anxiety by activating the

feared stimulus (interaction with a person with schizophrenia) and creating a new

memory as its replacement to enrich and enhance the positive information receive about

the stigmatized group. In their study, participants were assigned to a negative-positive

interaction or a positive-positive interaction. All participants’ levels of anxiety were

measured after imagining each type of interaction. Those who imagined a negative and a

positive interaction experienced less intergroup anxiety than those who were exposed to


two positive interactions. These findings suggest that a negative interaction followed by a

positive interaction is more effective than imagining a positive only interaction to reduce

anxiety.

While a significant amount of research has measured the effects of imagined

contact on changing attitudes and reducing anxiety toward many out-group members,

little attention has been focused on the experience and the perspective of the target group.

The research has focused on changing the perception of a majority group member

towards out-groups (elderly, schizophrenics, obese). There has also been little exploration

on the effects of imagined contact on actual interactions. The interactions between

different racial groups lead to an increase in anxiety about interacting with an out-group

(Shelton, 2003). With these findings, it is likely that, similar to intergroup interactions,

imagined contact could be beneficial to the improvement of interracial interactions. The

aim of this research is to examine whether imagined contact could improve interracial

interactions for minority group members. We hypothesized that imagining a positive

interaction with a member of an out-group would help reduce intergroup anxiety and

increase future intentions more than imagining an outdoor scene. This study also

investigates how much minority group members (Black, Hispanic, Asian) who imagined

contact would enjoy an actual interaction with a White out-group member. The current

research is important to the current literature on imagined contact because it aims to

understand how imagined contact can prepare both minority and majority group members

for an actual interaction.

It is hypothesized that the minorities who imagine a positive interaction with a

majority group member will have less anxiety about interacting and be more willing to


interact with a majority group member in the future than those who imagine an outdoor

scene. Moreover, minorities who imagine a positive interaction will enjoy an actual

interaction with a majority group member more than minority participants who imagine

an outdoor scene.

Method

Participants

Fifty-three undergraduate students (14 Male, 39 Female) participated in the online

imagining task and their ages ranged from 18-25 years (M= 19.75, SD= 1.64). A total of

28 were White, 8 were African-American, 8 were Hispanic/Latino, 8 were Biracial, and 1

was Asian. Participants were assigned randomly to the experimental (imagining an

interaction) or the control (outdoor scene) condition.

After completing the online task, 24 students (18 Female, 6 Male) participated in

a laboratory study and their ages ranged from 18-25 years (M= 19.92, SD= 1.64). A total

of 12 were White, 5 were African-American, 4 were Hispanic/Latino, and 3 were

Biracial. All students received course credit for their participation.

Design

Study 1: The experiment was a 2 (Condition: imagining an interaction or an

outdoor scene) x 2 (Race: minority or majority student). The two independent variables,

condition and race, were between-subjects. The measure of anxiety before the imagining

task (Anxiety1) served as a covariate. The dependent variable was anxiety about an

anticipated interaction (Anxiety2).

Study 2: The experiment was a 2x2 between subjects design. The two

independent variables, condition (imagined interaction, imagined outdoor scene and race


(minority, majority) were between-subjects. The dependent variable measured level of

enjoyment (of the interaction and their partner).

Materials

In Study 1, the imagined scenarios were taken from Crisp and Turner (2010) and

Husnu and Crisp (2010). In the control condition, participants were told: “For the next

five minutes, please close your eyes and imagine you are walking in the outdoors. Try to

imagine aspects of the scene around you (e.g., is it a beach, a forest, are there trees, hills,

what’s on the horizon). Please take five minutes to vividly imagine the walk is relaxed,

positive and comfortable.”). In the experimental condition, participants were told: “For

the next five minutes, please close your eyes and imagine meeting someone for the first

time. Imagine the person is Jennifer West, a White female who is 19 years old and a

sophomore in college. Jennifer is an anthropology major with a minor in psychology.

Please take the next five minutes to vividly imagine the interaction as relaxed, positive,

and comfortable.”

The dependent variable used during the imagined task to measure of anxiety was

The Intergroup Anxiety Scale by Stephan and Stephan (1985). The measure assessed

participants’ levels of anxiety before imagining and anxiety about a future interaction

with a White group member after imagining. While the original measure included the

word “anxious,” in this study the word “anxiety” was unintentionally left out. The

measure therefore assessed anxiety using the remaining 7 adjectives: awkward, happy,

self-conscious, relaxed, suspicious, embarrassed, and confident. Responses to each were

reported on a 7-point Likert scale with 1 = not at all and 7 = very much.


To measure intentions to engage in future contact, the same 7-point Likert scale

was used. Participants answered questions about a future interaction with a White female

named Jennifer. How much do you expect to enjoy interacting with Jennifer in the

future? How much do you expect Jennifer to like you? How willing do you think Jennifer

would be to hang out with you? Prior to answering questions about a future interaction,

participants in the control group were given a transition sentence to think about Jennifer.

Participants were told: “Now, we would like you to think about meeting someone for the

first time. Since it is difficult to imagine a hypothetical person, we have given you

someone to focus on: Jennifer West is a White female, age 19, who is a sophomore in

college with a major in anthropology and a minor in psychology.” In this description

however the control group were not directed to have a positive interaction like

participants in the experimental group.

During the interaction (Study 2), one minority (Black, Hispanic, Asian, Biracial)

participant and one majority (White) participant from different imagined conditions

discussed college related topics: 1. Which college courses you like the most, which you

like the least, and why 2. What types of things you like to do in your spare time. 3. The

type of career you would like to have in the future 4. How positive or negative your

experience has been at College. After discussing each topic, a 7-point Likert scale with 1

= not at all and 7 = very much was used to evaluate how much participants liked their

partners and the interracial interactions: How much did you like the interaction?, To what

extent would you like another interaction with your partner? How much did you like your

partner? How likely is it that you and your partner would be friends? (Shelton, 2003).


Procedure

Prior to beginning the online survey, participants indicated their consent to

participate by clicking “yes” within the online survey. Participation was voluntary and

they were free to withdraw at any time. Participants were informed that the researchers

were investigating how vividly people can imagine a scenario. Participants then read the

instructions and imagined the given scenario for five minutes. After imagining, there

were no time constraints throughout the rest of the survey. The participants then briefly

described what they imagined; this was to help reinforce what they imagined. Participants

then reported their levels of anxiety and willingness about a future interaction with a

person named Jennifer West, described as, a 19 year-old White female with a major in

Anthropology and a minor in Psychology. Lastly, participants completed demographic

questions (age, gender, race), indicated their willingness to participate in another study

involving an interaction, and if they were willing, provided their e-mail address. At the

end of the study, they were thanked for their participation and provided with the

experimenter’s contact information.

Participants who indicated that they were willing to participate in another study

were contacted and asked to come into the lab. For each session there were two

participants, one who self-identified as White/Caucasian and the other who self-identified

as Black, Latino, Asian or Biracial. Participants were paired with their partner based only

on race (a minority with a majority participant). Upon arrival at the small lab room,

participants sat across from each other at a table and were reminded about the scene they

imagined and were told: “You all participated in an online survey where you were asked

to imagine an scene, such as a nature walk or a described person.” They were also told a


cover story to disguise the purpose of the experiment: “This study examines how people

get to know each other. Since it can be weird to talk to someone you have just met, we

will give you ice breakers to discuss.” The topics were printed on a sheet of paper that

was placed face down on the table. Each pair was left alone to discuss the topics privately

for no more than thirty minutes while the experimenter, a Black female, waited outside

where she could not be seen.

Once the participants completed their discussion, one of the participants came into

the hall and notified the experimenter. Then, each participant filled out a questionnaire

about the interaction separately. The experimenter asked that one participant fill out the

questionnaire in the lab and the other in the hallway. The questionnaire asked whether

participants remembered their partner’s answers to each discussion topic and if so,

participants were asked to specify. Participants also reported how much they enjoyed

their partner, the interaction and whether they knew their partner beforehand. After

completing the questionnaire, the experimenter told participants to expect an email in

which they would be debriefed about the purpose of the study.

Results

Anxiety

A 2x2 analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tested the effects of race (minority,

majority) and condition (interaction, outdoor scene) on Anxiety2 (anxiety about a future

interaction), with Anxiety1 (anxiety before imagining) as a covariate. There was a

significant effect of the covariate, F(1,48) = 14.792, p < .05, partial eta2

= .236, with

anxiety1 (current anxiety) being a predictor for anxiety2 (anxiety about a future

interaction). There was also a significant effect of condition, F(1,48) = 6.02, p < .05,

partial eta2=.112. As the means in Table 1 indicate, participants from the control group


anticipated more anxiety than participants from the experimental group. There was no

effect of race, F(1,48)=.345, p > .05, and no significant interaction between condition and

race, F(1,48) = .071, p >.05. When looking at the means, they reveal that while

minorities who imagined an interaction were less anxious than minorities who imagined

an outdoor scene, the same things occurred for majority participants.

Willingness

A 2x2 analysis of variance (ANOVA) tested the effects of race (minority,

majority) and condition (interaction, outdoor scene) on willingness to interact with the

White female in the future. There was no significant effects of race, F(1,53)= 2.479, p

>.05, condition, F(1,53) = .693, p >.05, or interaction between race and condition,

F(1,53) = .014, p >.05. The means in Table 2 reveal that both minority and majority

participants in the control group were more willing to have a future interaction than

minority and majority participants in the experimental group.

Interracial Interaction

An analysis of variance (ANOVA) tested the effects of race (minority, majority)

and condition (interaction, outdoor scene) on level of enjoyment. Participants’ enjoyment

level was calculated by averaging the scores of three questions about how much

participants enjoyed their partner and the interaction. There was no effect of race, F(1,24)

= .000, p >.05, or condition, F(1, 24) = .540, p > .05. There was also no significant

interaction between condition and race, F(1,24) = .234, p > .05. Contrary to the

hypothesis, the means in Table 3 demonstrate that both minority and majority participants

who imagined an interaction enjoyed the actual interaction and their partner less than

minorities and majority participants who imagined an outdoor scene.


Discussion

Both minority and majority participants who imagined an interaction were less

anxious about a future interaction with a White female than minority and majority

participants who imagined an outdoor scene. However, there was no support for the

hypothesis that minority participants who imagined an interracial interaction would be

more willing to interact or enjoy an actual interaction more than minorities who imagined

an outdoor scene.

For the control group, an unanticipated result was revealed in which, participants

were more about a future interaction than when asked about their current level of anxiety.

Previous studies (Crisp & Turner, 2010; Husnu & Crisp, 2009) established that imagining

an outdoor scene would decrease anxiety. In this study, the anxiety measured two things,

their current anxiety level and anxiety about a future interaction with a White female.

Given that the second anxiety measure asked about a future interaction with Jennifer, the

participants who imagined an interaction were more prepared and therefore less anxious

than participants who imagined an outdoor scene. The findings demonstrate that

imagining contact can inhibit anxiety about a future interaction and be a useful tool to

prepare people for actual interactions.

Participants who imagined an outdoor scene or an imagined interaction had

similar and low ratings of willingness to have a future interaction with a White female.

There was a slight difference in the predicted direction, with participants who imagined

an outdoor scene being more willing than participants who imagined an interaction.

However, both groups seemed unwilling and were below midpoint to interact with White

female in the future. This suggests that neither participants who imagined an outdoor


scene or an interaction were excited to interact. It is plausible that both imagined tasks

did not effectively increase willingness to interact. The assigned task, although intended

to be positive, may not have been positive enough to increase willingness. Similar to the

study by Husnu and Crisp (2010), future researchers should provide more elaboration on

the imagined scene to insure that the task is imagined positively.

Imagining a positive interaction had no effect on enjoyment of the actual

interaction and their partners, for both racial groups. A possible explanation for this

would be variations in the amount of time from when participants imagined the

interaction to having the actual interaction. Some participants were able to participant in

the actual interaction the day after completing the online task whereas others arrived one

week later. Although participants were reminded about the imagined task prior to

beginning their interaction, time may have still impacted how much they remembered.

Researchers may also consider that some participants knew each other prior to the

interaction. In this study there were a total of four pairs (eight participants) who knew

each other. Participants who knew their partner may already have developed a positive or

negative relationship with them. To prevent this, future researchers should ensure that

participants do not know one another prior to the study.

One main limitation of this study was not measuring participants’ level of anxiety

during the interracial interaction. While all participants were above the midpoint for level

of enjoyment, it is unclear whether they were anxious during the interaction. This

measure would have allowed the researcher to compare how anxious participants felt

during three sessions: before the imagined task, after the imagined task, and after an

actual interaction. The difference in anxiety from the imagined interaction and anxiety


during the actual interaction would be useful for future research. If measured, it would be

possible to test the hypothesis that imagining a positive interaction reduced future anxiety

experienced during an actual interaction.

Despite finding no significant effect of participants’ race and the task they

imagined on how much anxiety they anticipated, how willing they were to interact or

how much they enjoyed an actual interaction, this study provided some evidence that all

participants who imagined a positive interaction were less anxious about a future

interaction. It is evident that by imagining a positive interaction, both minority and

majority participants were more prepared to interact and therefore less anxious. While

previous studies (Crisp & Turner, 2009; Husnu & Crisp, 2010; Turner & West, 2011)

have found that imagining a positive interaction decreases anxiety for the in-group

toward a target group (elderly, obese, schizophrenics), this study demonstrates that

anxiety about a future interaction happens for both the in-group and the out-group. This

suggests that both minority and majority group members are more alike than different.

Future research should continue to consider the experiences of both group members. Like

Turner and West (2011), psychologists should aim to use imagined contact to improve

actual interactions between various groups.


References

Britel, M.D. & Crisp, R.J. (2012) Treating prejudice: An exposure-therapy approach to

reducing negative reactions toward stigmatized groups. Psychological Science, 20, 1-

8.

Crip, R.J & Turner, R.N. (2009) Can imagined interactions produce positive perceptions?

Reducing prejudice through stimulated social contact, American Psychologist, 64,

231-240.

Husnu, S. & Crisp, R.J. (2010) Elaboration enhances the imagined contact effect. Journal of

Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 943-950.

Richeson, J.A., & Shelton, J.N. (2003) When prejudice doe not pay: Effects of interracial

contact on executive function. American Psychological Society 14, 287-288.

Shelton, J.N. (2003) Interpersonal concerns in social encounters between majority and

minority group members. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 6, 171-185.

Stephan, W.G. & Stephan, C.W. (1985) Intergroup anxiety. Journal of Social Issues, 41, 157-

175.

Trawalter, S., Richeson, J.A., & Shelton, J.N. (2009) Predicting behavior during interracial

interactions: A stress and coping approach. Society for Personality and Social

Psychology, 13, 243-268.

Turner, R.N. & Crisp, R.J. (2010) Imagining intergroup contact reduces implicit prejudice.

British Journal of Social Psychology, 49, 129-142.

Turner, R.N. & West, K. (2011) Behavioral consequences of imagining intergroup contact

with stigmatized outgroups. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 15, 193-202.


West K., Holmes, E. & Hewstone, E. (2012) Enhancing imagined contact to reduce prejudice

against people with schizophrenia. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations 14, 407-

128.


APPENDIX A Imagined Interaction

For the next five minutes, please close your eyes and imagine meeting someone for the

first time. Imagine the person is Jennifer West, a White female who is 19 years old and a

sophomore in college. Jennifer is an Anthropology major with a minor in Psychology.

Please take the next five minutes to vividly imagine the interaction as relaxed, positive

and comfortable.


APPENDIX B Imagined Outdoor Scene

For the next five minutes, please close your eyes and imagine you are walking in the

outdoors. Try to imagine aspects of the scene around you (e.g. is it a beach, a forest, are

there trees, hills, what’s on the horizon). Please take five minutes to vividly imagine the

walk is relaxed, positive and comfortable


APPENDIX C Anxiety Measure Before Imagining

Please take a minute to rate how you are currently feeling

Awkward

Not at all Very Much

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Happy

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Self-Conscious

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Relaxed

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Suspicious

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Embarrassed

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Confident

1 2 3 4 5 6 7


APPENDIX D Anxiety Measure After Imagining

If you were to meet Jennifer in the future, how do you think you would feel?

Awkward


1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Happy

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Self-Conscious

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Anxious

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Relaxed

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Suspicious

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Embarrassed

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Confident

1 2 3 4 5 6 7


APPENDIX E Willingness Measure

How much do you expect to enjoy interacting with Jennifer in the future?


1 2 3 4 5 6 7

How willing would you be to interact with Jennifer in the future?

Not at all Very Willing

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

To what extent do you feel Jennifer would like you?


1 2 3 4 5 6 7

How willing do you think Jennifer would like to hang out with you?

Not at all Very Willing

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Age

Gender

Race


APPENDIX F Enjoyment of Interaction Measure

Do you know your partners favorite or least favorite course? Is so, please specify

Do you know your partners career goals? Is so, please specify

Do you know your partners favorite thing to do in their spare time? Is so, please specify

Do you know the type of college experience your partner had? Is so, please specify

How much did you enjoy the interaction?


1 2 3 4 5 6 7

To what extent would you like another interaction with your partner?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

How much did you like your partner?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

How likely is it that you and your partner would be friends?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Did you know your partner before the experiment? Yes or No

What do you think the hypothesis of this study was?

Age

Gender

Race


APPENDIX G Academic Discussion Topics

1. Discuss which college courses you like the most, which you like the least and why

2. Discuss what types of things you like to do in your spare time.

3. Discuss the type of career you would like to have in the future.

4. Discuss how positive or negative your experiences have been at Purchase College


Table 1 Means and Standard Deviations of Anxiety for Minority and Majority Students

Minority Majority Total

Condition N M SD N M SD N M SD

_______________________________________________________________________

Control 11 3.09 1.08 16 3.45 1.28 27 3.30 1.19

Experimental 14 3.13 1.00 12 2.95 1.42 26 3.04 1.19

______________________________________________________________________

Total 25 3.11 1.01 28 3.23 1.34 53 3.18 1.19

_______________________________________________________________________


Table 2

Means and Standard Deviations of Willingness for Minority and Majority Students



_______________________________________________________________________

Control 11 3.90 .53 16 3.56 .89 11 3.70 .77

Experimental 14 3.71 .72 12 3.41 .66 14 3.57 .70

_______________________________________________________________________

Total 25 3.80 .64 28 3.50 .79 25 3.64 .73

_______________________________________________________________________


Table 3

Means and Standard Deviations of Enjoyment for Minority and Majority Students



_______________________________________________________________________

Control 5 5.80 .69 7 5.50 1.70 12 5.62 1.33

Experimental 7 5.07 1.17 5 5.35 1.87 12 5.18 1.43

_______________________________________________________________________

Total 12 5.37 1.03 12 5.43 1.69 24 5.40 1.37

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Fatim Lelenta Senior Thesis 2013