Promoting Respect for Difference on the College Campus: The Role of Interdependence

Thirty-nine undergraduate students participated in an experiment to determine the impact of cooperation and fear of terrorism on student support for Muslims on campus. As expected, participants whose fear of terrorism was low expressed significantly greater support for Muslim students than did their...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American behavioral scientist (Beverly Hills) 2007-10, Vol.51 (2), p.294-301
Main Authors: Rabrenovic, Gordana, Levin, Jack, Oliver, Nelly M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Children & youth
College campuses
College students
Cooperation
Families & family life
Fear
Fear & phobias
Group dynamics
Hostility
Interdependence
Interviews
Investigations
Muslims
Social interaction
Students
Studies
Terrorism
U.S.A
Undergraduate students
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Summary:Thirty-nine undergraduate students participated in an experiment to determine the impact of cooperation and fear of terrorism on student support for Muslims on campus. As expected, participants whose fear of terrorism was low expressed significantly greater support for Muslim students than did their more fearful counterparts. Moreover, participants in both the high and the low cooperation condition were significantly more supportive of Muslims on campus than were those who had had no cooperative contact with Muslim students. A significant interaction effect indicates that cooperation had only a salutary impact on support for Muslims among participants who were fearful of another terrorist attack. These results are discussed with respect to their ability to maintain supportive relations between groups on campus during periods of instability.
ISSN:0002-7642
1552-3381
DOI:10.1177/0002764207306060