Modification of Interracial Interaction Disability: An Application of Status Characteristic Theory

This experiment attempted to produce equal-status interaction among four-person interracial groups of junior high school boys by assigning a high level of competence to the black subjects on two related tasks. Each treated group played a criterion game where the probabilities of whites and blacks being active and influential could be measured. Previous research has shown that in untreated groups the racial status characteristic becomes activitated, i.e., whites are much more likely than blacks to be active and influential. Results: unless the expectations for black competence held by both whites and blacks are treated, whites will dominate the interaction in the criterion game. When expectations of the whites are treated by having the whites serve as students of the black teacher, behavior on the game approximates an equal status pattern. The strongest treatment involves spelling out the relevance of the training tasks to the criterion game. Implications for school desegration are discussed.