Interracial Attitudes and Behavior at A Summer Camp

Abstract

Studied interracial attitudes and behavior during a series of week-long sessions at a summer camp. The camp involved prolonged, intimate contact between 92 Black and 104 White children of equal status. The situation was structured so that each living unit had a Black and a White counselor and equal numbers of Black and White campers. Measures of racial attitudes and behavior included a verbal attitude assessment, a series of interpersonal choices, and an analysis of photographs taken by the Ss. All 3 measures showed some significant and positive changes. Consistent with other studies, males generally showed more positive interracial attitudes and behavior than females. As a consequence of the elevated pretest scores of males, only females showed significant changes in attitudes and interpersonal choices. Possible rival hypotheses for the obtained changes are analyzed and rejected, and it is suggested that intergroup attitudes and behavior depend on the relative power and status of the groups in the social situation within which they interact. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)