View in EDS

Reactions to Helping and Being Helped in Interracial Cooperative Groups: Effects on Respect and Liking for Group Members.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Reactions to Helping and Being Helped in Interracial Cooperative Groups: Effects on Respect and Liking for Group Members.
Language: English
Authors: Cook, Stuart W.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 1986
Document Type: Reports - Research
Descriptors: Group Behavior, Group Dynamics, Helping Relationship, Racial Attitudes, Racial Factors, Social Science Research
Geographic Terms: U.S.; Colorado
Abstract: Recipients of help often show less liking for their helpers than for others who do not provide help, presumably because the recipient is left with feelings of lowered self-esteem and unfulfilled indebtedness to the donor. Three-person interracial teams were presented with a series of problems in the course of managing a simulated business. One was the research subject; a young, white male from a region in which racial prejudice is frequently encountered. The two other team members were experimental confederates, one white and one Black. The research subject was exposed to one of three receipt-of-help conditions: (1) receiving help from a teammate who provided it voluntarily; (2) receiving help from a teammate instructed to provide help; or (3) receiving no help. Race of the helping teammate and success or failure of the team were also considered. Respect and liking for teammates who helped voluntarily was significantly greater than that for teammates in the no-help condition. Respect and liking for an instructed helper was at an intermediate level. Reactions to the three helping conditions did not differ significantly with respect to race of helping teammate or success or failure of the team. (Author.LHW)
Notes: Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (70th, San Francisco, CA, April 16-20, 1986).
Journal Code: RIEJUN1987
Entry Date: 1987
Accession Number: ED278730
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Recipients of help often show less liking for their helpers than for others who do not provide help, presumably because the recipient is left with feelings of lowered self-esteem and unfulfilled indebtedness to the donor. Three-person interracial teams were presented with a series of problems in the course of managing a simulated business. One was the research subject; a young, white male from a region in which racial prejudice is frequently encountered. The two other team members were experimental confederates, one white and one Black. The research subject was exposed to one of three receipt-of-help conditions: (1) receiving help from a teammate who provided it voluntarily; (2) receiving help from a teammate instructed to provide help; or (3) receiving no help. Race of the helping teammate and success or failure of the team were also considered. Respect and liking for teammates who helped voluntarily was significantly greater than that for teammates in the no-help condition. Respect and liking for an instructed helper was at an intermediate level. Reactions to the three helping conditions did not differ significantly with respect to race of helping teammate or success or failure of the team. (Author.LHW)