Word, Zanna, & Cooper

Summary on: The Nonverbal Mediation of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies in Interracial Interaction



This study is based on a study by Robert Merton (1957). In his study, he found that one person's belief about another can cause the believer to bring about a situation. This has been labeled self-fulfilling prophecy. Another psychologist, Mehrabian (1968), studied attitudes and immediacy. "Immediacy" is the extent to which behaviors enhance closeness to and nonverbal interaction with another, e.g. physical proximity. This information shows that individual attitudes are linked to nonverbal behavior and positive attitudes lead to immediate, nonverbal behavior.



Past Studies:

One person's belief about another person can cause certain behaviors in the other.

  • -Found in schools, psychology labs with experimenter's expectations

  • -Studies show less immediacy with interaction of those with disabilities, basically differences than norm



    Present Study:

    Hypotheses:

    (General)

    Whites interacting with blacks will emit nonverbal behaviors corresponding to negative evaluation, while blacks will reciprocate less immediate behaviors.


    (Sub-hypotheses)

    Black applicants will receive less immediate nonverbal communication from white job interviewers.

    Recipients of less immediate nonverbal communication, whether white or black, will return these communications and be judged accordingly.



    Experiment #1 ( Interviewer's Performance)

    Independent Variable:

    Race of interviewee (White/Black)



    Dependent Variables:

    1. Immediacy behaviors

  • -Physical distance between people

  • -Forward Lean

  • -Eye contact

  • -Shoulder orientation

    2. Related behaviors

  • -Interview length

  • -Speech errors



    Results

    1. Interviews with black participants yielded more physical distance

    2. Interview lengths were shorter for black interviewees

    3. Interviewer stuttered more with blacks as interviewees



    Experiment #2. ( Interviewee Performance)



    Hypothesis: The immediacy factor will make a difference in the behavior of subjects interviewed. (subjects were all white)



    Independent Variable

    Immediacy behavior of interviewer

  • -high immediacy

  • -low immediacy



    Dependent variables

  • -judges' ratings of interview performance

  • -judges' ratings of immediacy behavior

    speech errors, distance

  • -Applicants' attitude/mood after interview



    Results

    A) Low immediacy condition

  • - More physical distance

  • - More speech errors

  • - Overall performance judged lower

    B) High immediacy condition

  • - More positive mood

  • - Less physical distance

  • - Fewer speech errors

  • - Better rating by judges