Making "Fast Friends" Online in Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence

Close peer relationships are critical to children's and adolescents' healthy development and well-being, yet youth sometimes struggle to make friends. The present work tested whether an online version of the Fast Friends procedure could engender closeness among 9- to 13-year-old youth. Participant dyads (N = 131), matched in age and gender, were randomly assigned to answer personal questions that encourage self-disclosure and play a collaborative game (Fast Friends condition) or to engage in similar activities without self-disclosure or collaboration (control condition). Fast Friends dyads reported feeling closer and expressed more interest in future contact than control dyads. The discussion addresses potential future uses and implications of an online Fast Friends procedure.

Black Americans' racial socialization experiences and beliefs about White people's interracial motives

OBJECTIVES

Suspect motives, conceptualized as beliefs that Whites' interracial motives are primarily driven by desires to avoid appearing prejudiced have been found to shape a number of intergroup outcomes for People of Color (POC). However, it is unclear what factors lead individuals to become suspicious of Whites' motives. Two correlational studies tested whether childhood racial socialization experiences relate to suspect motives.

METHODS

223 Black participants (94.2% female; M age = 42.01, SD age = 16.62) recalled childhood racial socialization experiences and completed the Suspicion of Motives Index (SOMI; Study 1). 226 Black parents (80.8% female; M age = 37.39, SD age = 9.17) reported racial socialization strategies and goals for their children to be cognizant of Whites' potentially suspect motives (Study 2).

RESULTS

Driven by cultural socialization, racial socialization was significantly related to suspicion (Study 1). Racial socialization predicted parental desires that children recognize Whites' suspect motives and a combined measure of cultural socialization and preparation for bias was most strongly related to parental hopes (Study 2).

CONCLUSIONS

These studies link racial socialization and suspicion of Whites' motives. These results suggest that among POC, racial socialization may shape beliefs about Whites' interracial motives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).