2014 West AnxietyPerseveranceIntergroupInteraction
This article investigates how providing incidental, non-interactional explanations for a partner’s anxiety (e.g., upcoming evaluation, caffeine intake) influences perceivers’ judgments and affiliative behavior in same‑race versus cross‑race encounters. Across three experiments, participants engaged in dyadic “getting‑acquainted” interactions that were either live or video‑based, with manipulations of partner anxiety source and race. The authors hypothesized that incidental explanations would make anxiety more cognitively accessible (assimilation account), leading to heightened perceived anxiety and reduced interest, self‑disclosure, and physical proximity in cross‑race but not same‑race interactions. Results confirmed that incidental explanations increased perceived anxiety and lowered affiliative outcomes only in cross‑race dyads, and that perceived anxiety mediated these effects. Study 3 added behavioral distance as an objective measure, reinforcing the pattern. The discussion situates findings within intergroup contact theory, anxiety/uncertainty management, and suggests practical implications for reducing intergroup anxiety. The final section provides an extensive bibliography of foundational work on intergroup anxiety, dyadic data analysis, and related methodological tools, followed by an APA editorial notice about new journal editors and manuscript submission procedures.
Topics
Incidental Explanations Trigger Anxiety Perseverance in Cross‑Race Interactions
Providing non‑interactional explanations for a partner’s anxiety (e.g., upcoming evaluation, caffeine intake) makes anxiety representations more cognitively accessible, leading participants to perceive higher partner anxiety and to show reduced affiliative interest, self‑disclosure, and physical proximity—but only when the partner is of a different race.
Assimilation Account of Anxiety Accessibility
A theoretical framework positing that incidental source information assimilates with existing anxiety schemas, amplifying the salience of anxiety cues and biasing perception and behavior in intergroup contexts.
Experimental Design and Analytic Strategy
Three experiments employing dyadic ‘getting‑acquainted’ interactions: live partners (Study 1), prerecorded video partners with manipulated physiological feedback (Study 2), and a behavioral distance measure (Study 3). Data were analyzed with hierarchical linear models to test the effects of partner race, source information, and perceived anxiety on affiliative outcomes.
Behavioral Distance as an Objective Indicator of Intergroup Affiliation
Study 3 measured participants’ physical distance from a partner (e.g., seating choice) to capture non‑verbal avoidance, confirming that incidental explanations increased spatial separation only in cross‑race dyads.
Mediating Role of Perceived Anxiety on Affiliation Outcomes
Perceived partner anxiety fully mediated the relationship between incidental explanations and reduced interest, self‑disclosure, and proximity in interracial encounters, highlighting anxiety as the key psychological conduit.
Implications for Intergroup Contact Theory and Anxiety Management
Findings extend intergroup contact and anxiety‑uncertainty management theories, suggesting that incidental explanations can backfire in interracial settings and that interventions should target anxiety perception rather than merely providing contextual information.