Effects of Cross-Group Friendship on Intergroup Interaction

1. Effects of Cross-Group Friendship on Intergroup Interaction Elizabeth Page-Gould University of Toronto Scarborough York University Social Brown Bag Series

2. Intergroup Interaction Wrought with anxiety and threat �Intergroup Anxiety� (Stephan & Stephan, 1985) But even among high conflict groups � Cross-group friendship ? Less intergroup anxiety and prejudice (Islam & Hewstone, 1993; Paolini, Hewstone, Cairns, & Voci, 2004; Paolini, Hewstone, Voci, Harwood, & Cairns, 2006)

3. Intergroup Conflict

4. Intergroup Interaction Wrought with anxiety and threat �Intergroup Anxiety� (Stephan & Stephan, 1985) But even among high conflict groups � Cross-group friendship ? Less intergroup anxiety and prejudice (Islam & Hewstone, 1993; Paolini, Hewstone, Cairns, & Voci, 2004; Paolini, Hewstone, Voci, Harwood, & Cairns, 2006)

5. Cross-group Friendship Platonic, interpersonal closeness between people from different social groups

6. Correlates of Cross-group Friendship Less intergroup anxiety (Levin, van Laar, & Sidanius, 2003; Paolini et al., 2004; Wright, Aron, & Tropp, 2002) Reduced prejudice (Pettigrew, 1997; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2000, 2006; Wright et al., 2002) Openness to future interracial ties (de Souza Briggs, 2007; Emerson, Kimbro, & Yancey, 2002) Greater outgroup heterogeneity (Levin et al., 2003; Page-Gould, Mendes, & Major, under review; Paolini et al., 2004)

7. Which Comes First?

8. Understanding Cross-Group Friendship

9. Study 1: Causality Research Question: Does cross-group friendship reduce intergroup anxiety?

10. Causality: Methods Participants: 144 Latino & White undergrads (77% female) Procedure:

11. Cortisol Hypotheses Implicit prejudice ? Cortisol response to cross-group friend As closeness develops ? Attenuation of stress response

12. Cortisol Reactivity by IAT

13. Cortisol Reactivity by IAT

14. Diary Hypotheses Diverse Context 97.3% of days reported had a cross-ethnic social interaction Hypotheses: Implicit prejudice ? Avoidance of cross-ethnic interaction in same-race condition Cross-group friendship ? Initiation of cross-ethnic interactions

15. Intergroup Approach

16. Study 1 Summary Causal effects of cross-group friendship Reduces intergroup anxiety Increases intergroup approach Most beneficial for the people most likely to avoid it Effects generalized beyond friendship pair

17. Why?

18. Study 2: Finding the Process Research Question: Do people with close cross-group friends associate themselves with social outgroups?

19. Methods Participants: 46 undergraduates (85% female) Procedure:

20. �Implicit Personality Test�

21. �Implicit Personality Test�

22. �Implicit Personality Test�

23. �Implicit Personality Test�

24. �Implicit Personality Test�

25. �Implicit Personality Test�

26. �Implicit Personality Test�

27. �Implicit Personality Test�

28. �Implicit Personality Test�

29. Hypotheses Closeness with cross-group friend ? Longer to classify friend�s ethnicity as non-descriptive RT to friend�s ethnicity ? Outgroup identification

30. Self and Outgroup

31. Outgroup Identification

32. Study 2b: �Self Stereotyping� Research Question: Will people �self stereotype� according to ethnic stereotypes of a close cross-group friend�s ethnicity?

33. Study 2b: �Self Stereotyping� Independent Sample: 36 undergrads, grads, & professors, diverse backgrounds

34. Study 2b: �Self Stereotyping� Independent Sample: 36 undergrads, grads, & professors, diverse backgrounds

35. �Self Stereotyping� Hypothesis Closeness with cross-group friend ? Faster to categorize self-descriptive traits if they are stereotypical of friend�s ethnicity

36. �Self Stereotyping�

37. Study 2 Summary People associate close friends� ethnicities with the self Exhibit group identification with friend�s ethnicity

38. Study 3: Process Research Question: Will accessibility of cross-group friend improve expectations for novel intergroup interactions? Will this effect be mediated by associations of the Self with outgroup?

39. Process: Methods Participants: 37 Asian and White undergrads (69% female) Procedure:

40. Friendship Prime

41. Vignette

42. Mediational Hypotheses Accessibility of cross-group friend ? Better expectations for interaction with novel outgroup member Accessibility of cross-group friend ? Longer to classify friend�s ethnicity as non-descriptive Time to classify friend�s ethnicity will mediate expectations for the interaction

43. Mediational Model

44. Real Social Interaction Participants: 49 Chinese- and European-American undergrads Procedure:

45. Anabolic Balance Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S) Anabolic stress hormone Protects body from tissue damage of cortisol Predicts recovery from stress response Anabolic Balance = DHEA-S/Cortisol Adaptive response to stress Emphasized in physiological thriving literature Increase Anabolic Balance = Good

46. Mediational Hypotheses Accessibility of cross-group friend ? Higher anabolic balance Accessibility of cross-group friend ? Longer to classify friend�s ethnicity as non-descriptive Associations of friend�s ethnicity with the self will mediate hormonal responses to novel intergroup interaction

47. (Multilevel) Mediational Model

48. Taking Stock Cross-group friendship causally affects intergroup experiences Introduced two experimental methods for testing causality Latter studies Intergroup benefits are an emergent property of cognitive aspects of closeness Emphasize that the intergroup benefits occur to the extent that a cross-group friend is in mind Implications for health and physiological thriving

49. Doggy Bag of this Brown Bag Cross-group friendship improves intergroup experience This occurs through identification with friend�s social groups

50. ? Thank You! ? Mentors: Wendy Berry Mendes Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Coauthors and Collaborators: Jan M. Alegre John Oliver Siy Linda R. Tropp Dissertation Committee: �zlem Ayduk Robert W. Levenson Yu-wen Ying Funding: US National Science Foundation Greater Good Science Center Harvard Mind/Brain/Behaviour Initiative Exceptional Research Assistants: Study 1: Sarah Hirsch, Tyler Jenkins, Ria Jose, Jessica Lopez Jiminez, Allison Lee, Trevor Nguyen, Tecsia Ross, Melanie Weininger, Rosa Wong Studies 2 - 4: Nick Candelaria, Rose Cartwright, Jennifer Lee, Glenn San Agustin, Caroline Tietbohl

51. Grad School In Social Psychology What to expect Choosing schools Choosing mentors Application process Careers in academia and beyond

52. What to Expect What will be expected of you Quality of life Financial considerations

53. Choosing Schools Union of: Quality of school Interest in mentor�s research Quality of location

54. Choosing Mentors Be driven from your research interests Contact their graduate students! Understand that the most awesome researcher may not be the most awesome advisor Its a dyadic process - personalities interact

55. Application Process Components of your application �Personal� Statement Truly, research statement Letters of recommendation GREs (if US School) GPA What happens on their end

56. Careers in Academia and Beyond Academia Expectations: 40%/40%/20% �Publish or Perish� Tenure Perks Non-research academic routes Non-academic routes

57. Science is Fun! Next Lecture (10/14): Group Processes Relevant Websites: SSHRC Graduate Funding: http://www.sshrc.ca/site/apply-demande/students-etudiants-eng.aspx APA Graduate School Resources: http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/faqs.html Career Tips for Psychology Students: http://www.socialpsychology.org/career.htm#careertips